Music Meets Drama

  The Gena Branscombe Project has announced their 2022 scholarship winners.   We congratulate these talented musicians and wish them all the best as they move forward with their careers.   The Gena Branscombe Project has awarded its 2022 Composer scholarship to Alexandra Bellhaven . In addition to being a composer, Alexandra is a musical theater writer, pianist, and conductor with a passion for the art of telling stories. She is a current student at Berklee College of Music in Boston where she studies Film Scoring and Composition with minors in Musical Theater writing and conducting. Alexandra’s niche is telling the hidden stories that affect a large population of people; the stories of the silent majority. Whether that is the stories of addiction, or the transformation of love in all forms, Ally seeks out art that generates the feeling of community in a unique way. When not storytelling, you can find Ally training for the Chicago 2022 marathon,   Congra...

  What could singer Oliver Steward, Metropolitan Opera star tenor, Frederick Jagel, and sports announcer Graham McNamee possibly have in common?   First, they are all American born, second, the obvious answer would be a connection to Gena Branscombe.   And, yes, all three of them sang her song, “At the Postern Gate” from her song cycle, “Songs of the Unafraid.”   In Gena’s November 14, 1928 letter to Mr. Austin at Arthur P. Schmidt Publishing, she mentions that Oliver Steward had sung the song at a private musicale and at the Plaza Hotel.   She happened to meet Mr. Frederick Jagel of the Metropolitan Opera who told her he had also sung the song at a private musicale and would be singing it over the radio in January.   In what seems to be a whimsical after thought in her letter, she asks if Graham McNamee singing that song on the radio had “stirred up a little life!”   There is no information about Oliver Steward on the internet.   I will s...

  With thanks to Matt Spangler for inviting me to be interviewed for his podcast “ The Ladies Speak .”   Speaking about Gena Branscombe for over 3 hours was a new one for me.   Guided by Matt, it was easy.   Damali Willingham, The Gena Branscombe Project 2020 Composer scholarship winner, joined the session to speak about the experience of arranging and conducting Gena’s “Festival Prelude.”   What a pro Damali is! Thanks to Dave at Pod617 studio who made me feel comfortable and at ease. Forgive my poor photographs of Dave’s wrist band advertising, but, it is very creative and I had to share it. The podcast will be posted on “The Ladies Speak” website in early 2023.   Of course, we will post it as soon as it is available. In the meantime, the recording session is “A WRAP!”

  NATIONAL LEAGUE OF AMERICAN PEN WOMEN, INC. - Linking creative women since 1897 The Santa Clara, California Chapter of the National League of American Pen Women invited me to give a presentation about Gena Branscombe’s involvement with the Pen Women.  On Saturday, November 5 th , I presented my speech.  I offer my thanks to Luanna Leisure, President of the Chapter, for the invitation and organizing the meeting and to the members and guests who were an engaged audience. Below is the link to the video:   https://www.dropbox.com/s/x0f1kbhsayzlu3j/NLAPW_Branscombe.mp4?dl=0 Enjoy!