Music Meets Drama

The Gena Branscombe Project has been hard at work scheduling concerts.  See the Upcoming Concert Dates on this flyer!  If you are in New York City on February 28, 2026 or in Boston on March 16, 2026, please reserve a ticket.  Those concerts feature the music of the original women composers who in 1923 were invited to join the National League of American Pen Women.  We honor these trailblazing composers.  We then have concerts at Houghton University and Picton, Ontario, Gena Branscombe's hometown.  Stay tuned for more! # BringingBackBranscombe

  Good news to share.   The Gena Branscombe Project will be represented at the National Opera Association conference in Boston, MA, January 6-10, 2026.   Emily Clements, the Project’s 2024 Composer scholarship winner and her co-librettist, Bonita Bunt, will discuss their original opera-in-progress, “Letters to Lily”, for the New Works Expo. Dan Ryan and I will participate in the Poster Session displaying the history of The Gena Branscombe Project that includes our mission of awarding scholarships to up-and-coming composers, conductors and arts administrators, sponsoring Bringing Back Branscombe concerts, publishing the composer’s nearly forgotten music and bringing awareness of her oratorio, “Pilgrims of Destiny” as well as her orchestral works.     We look forward to being at the conference and meeting all the attendees.   #BringingBackBranscombe

  Over several months of letters in 1922 were discussions between Miss Branscombe and Mr. Austin at the Arthur P. Schmidt Company of Boston.  The subject matter:  a set of songs Gena Branscombe wrote for her daughters.   She desperately wanted the “Un-improving Songs for Enthusiastic Children and One for Sleepy Time” to be published for the Christmas season sheet music market.  Proofs of the songs were mailed between Gena and Mr. Austin.  With the Christmas season deadline fast approaching, there was a Post Office delay in the corrected proofs being delivered in a timely fashion.  Anxiety haunted the composer. Yet, what came as a surprise in these letters was the discussion of who would create the sheet music cover art work.  When sheet music was the rage, the covers for the music were colorful and eye-catching.  A talented designer was a must! Gena’s friend, Mrs. Elise Nevins Morgan of Methuen, Massachusetts, recommended her artist frien...

  For nearly two years the law firm Foster Garvey has worked with The Gena Branscombe Project.   A team of lawyers guided us through the process of becoming a 501(c)(3), non-profit, filing all the necessary paperwork with the State of New York, advising us on all the annual financial forms to be filed, copyright law and much more.   Their team was professional, encouraging, patient and generous with their time. All the work I listed above was done pro-bono.  We were aware that every meeting they held with us could have been billing hours for the lawyers.  Yet, they showed their commitment and dedication to supporting us.   Our initial connection with Foster Garvey came through one of my neighbors who approached partner Hilary Hughes asking if she would be interested in helping us.   A meeting was set up to discuss the needs of The Gena Branscombe Project.  Within days we met the lawyers who became our team!   We knew we had t...

  For six years The Gena Branscombe Project has awarded scholarships to up-and-coming Arts Administrators, Conductors and Composers.  Our winners have proven themselves as music scholars, conductors whose talents raise performance standards and leaders of organizations where they involve their local community to participate in the arts.  Most of all, they are caring people whose mission is to make the world a better place.   One of our missions has been to stay in touch with our winners.   We meet them for breakfast, coffee or lunch when they are in New York City or Boston.   Wonderful conversations have taken place where we learn of their personal and professional goals.   We attend their concerts and events.   One other joy in this mission is introducing the winners to one another.   Recently Damali Willingham (2020 Composer winner) and Braeden Weyhrich (2024 Conductor winner) met at Georgia State University where Braeden will be conduc...

The Gena Branscombe Project along with One Eye Publications and the Picton United Church are happy to announce the "Bringing Gena Branscombe Home" concert. The concert will be held at the Picton United Church in Picton, Ontario on Saturday, August 15, 2026. We honor Miss Branscombe's Canadian heritage with a program of her Canadian compositions. We hope you will join us to celebrate Miss Branscombe's musical homecoming! To say the very least, we are thrilled that Miss Branscombe's music will be heard once again in her beloved hometown of Picton.  Included in the program will be her songs with poetry by her mother Sara Allison Branscombe and Canadian poets Arthur Stringer and Katherine Hale.  Her piano pieces composed while living in Picton and scenes from her unfinished opera "Bells of Circumstance" will be performed.   #BringingBackBranscombe

  Over the years of writing my blog I have discovered and promoted women conductors.  It has been a joy learning about these women, their education, the path they took to get where they are, which orchestras and opera companies they have conducted and more.  Each time I find a new woman conductor I want to write about her and share her on my blog.  Words are my way of promoting these wonderful musicians.   Ruth Reinhardt has been appointed Music Director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.   She is the fifth music director in this orchestra’s   80 year history and the first woman conductor to hold the position!     With a deep interest in promoting late 20 th century and early 21 st century European women composers she has conducted works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Kaiija Saariaho, Lottta Wennäkoski as well as Daniel Bjarnsason and Thomas Ades.   She has not forgotten the symphonic greats leading orchestras in performances of ...

  The summer of 2023 I completed transcribing what I thought were all of Miss Branscombe’s letters to her publisher, Arthur P. Schmidt.   As I wrote in my blog of that July, it was a journey of dedication to her legacy as well as an eye-opening learning experience of her humanity, business acumen and musical genius.   Also in those letters her every day life of emotions, ups and downs, raising children, losing her husband and two daughters came alive.   One problem arose as I transcribed the letters from 1910-1954, somehow I had missed scanning the years 1921 and 1922.   Well, we’re all human when under time constraints.  I missed those two years. My recent trip to the Library of Congress allowed me the time to right my mistake.  I scanned the folders of letters from 1921 and 1922.  Returning home I began to transcribe those two years of letters. Doing so allows me to travel back to that era, imagining her life’s experience at that moment and ...

 Here are the winners of the 2025 Gena Branscombe Project scholarships.  Read their bios and see what a talented group of people won the scholarships.   Lauren Koszyk is an arts administrator, collaborative pianist, and educator based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, pursuing her Master of Business Administration in Music Business and Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano at the University of North Texas. She works with leading arts organizations including the Cliburn, Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, and the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society, and she serves as Assistant Artistic Director for CollabFest, the first international conference dedicated exclusively to collaborative piano. As an educator she cultivates inclusive, empowering learning environments and was named a 2023 Top Piano Teacher by Steinway & Sons. As a pianist, she has performed across Austria, Canada, Italy, and the United States, including engagements with Illi...

And, The Gena Branscombe Project 2025 Scholarship winners are: Lauren Koszyk - Arts Administration David Carlton Adams - Composer Laure Clapp - Conductor Congratulations to these talented and dedicated people!    #BringingBackBranscombe

  Walking into the Library of Congress Music Reading Room on Monday, August 4th, this was the scene at the request counter.....research gloves hung out to dry. Brittle, old and deteriorating paper manuscripts, scores, pictures and articles often must be preserved and protected by wearing white gloves.  Human hands with their natural oils and hand cream could make these treasured items weaken or fall apart, thus the gloves. Over the weekend, these gloves had been washed and were now drying on the counter top.  Visiting researchers would be wearing the gloves in the next few hours. Ah, the life of a researcher! #BringingBackBranscombe

  Gather four people together; discuss dates for travel to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC - August 4, 5 and 6; plan for our individual research projects with our collective interest in the archives of publisher Arthur P. Schmidt of Boston; alert the Library of Congress we will be there on said dates – all this planning created a memorable three days in our nation’s library. (John Adams Building - Library of Congress)   Who were these four people?  Dr. Derek Strykowski who is authoring a book about Arthur P. Schmidt, his life and his impact on music publishing in America; Linda Johnson, great granddaughter of Arthur P. Schmidt with her interest in reviewing all the business records and letters from which she would learn more about her great grandfather; Dr. Regan Russell who wrote her dissertation on Gena Branscombe’s 150 art songs was reading women composers' letters written to Schmidt and then, well, me who you know has an interest in Gena Branscombe and who...

With special thanks to Dr. Liane Curtis of the Women's Philharmonic Advocacy for the opportunity to author an article promoting Gena Branscombe's instrumental works.  The mission of The Gena Branscombe Project is to encourage performances of these works. Spread the word that these scores are available!  Enjoy the read! https://wophil.org/composer-gena-branscombe-exploring-her-music-with-orchestra/?doing_wp_cron=1752931492.9277789592742919921875   #BringingBackBranscombe

  The music of Gena Branscombe, beloved composer, conductor, and advocate for women in music, is published again after being lost for decades. Through years of research, editing, and collaboration, The Gena Branscombe Project and One Eye Publications have brought these long-lost gems back to life, with more to come!   In a Fairy Garden Two Sketches for Pianoforte Four Ballet Episodes   It's not just about her fantastic music, it’s about legacy. This milestone helps ensure Gena’s voice is heard again and supports the future of music: a portion proceeds go towards our The Gena Branscombe Project scholarships for rising conductors, composers, and arts administrators through our nonprofit. Now in our 6th Year! Please, explore these editions, share with a pianist, buy a gift for a friend, and help us keep this momentum alive. https://www.oneeyepublications.com/shop   #WomenInMusic #GenaBranscombe #MusicHistory #PianoRepertoire #HistoricRevival #Mu...

What an exciting announcement to make and one that has made a dream and vision come true! One Eye Publications in collaboration with The Gena Branscombe Project is announcing the publication of three of Gena Branscombe's piano music collections:  In a Fairy Garden, Two Sketches for Piano Forte, Four Ballet Episodes! Working with Eleanor Gummer of One Eye Publications has been a wonderful experience which has formed into a professional friendship.  Thank you, Eleanor. Go to:  www.oneeyepublications.com to order these delightful piano pieces.  There will be more of Gena's music to be published in the future.     #BringingBackBranscombe  

  In late March I received an e-mail asking me to review pianist Jennifer King’s recording, Souvenance .   I highly recommend listening to this recording, not just once, but many, many times. Congratulations to Jennifer on a beautiful presentation of Romances, Nocturnes and a Meditation composed by eight women composers. https://www.jenniferkingpiano.com/ https://lnk.to/souvenance You can buy or stream the recording on almost any platform.  Enjoy! Here’s my review: Nineteenth century French Impressionist painters created works of art depicting night.  Their use of darkly hued colors affects our senses.  Not to be outdone, French Impressionist composers took up the word “Nocturne” and began creating short works, that similar to the paintings, created the sense of night employing the colors a pianist infuses in their playing.  Jennifer King’s newly released CD; Souvenance is a delectable presentation of Nocturnes, Romances and a Meditation composed by ...