Music Meets Drama

We ended the weekend of The Gena Branscombe Project’s concert attending a performance of Alexandra Bellhaven’s song cycle, “Diary of a Payphone,” at 54 Below in New York City.  Ally is The Gena Branscombe Project’s 2022 Composer Scholarship winner.  Honored to have been at this performance with Gena’s great niece, Allison, and Dr. Laurine Elkins Marlow.  And, a picture of Dr. Laurine Elkins Marlow and Kathleen with the concert poster outside of The New York Society for Ethical Culture.  Gena, we brought you back to your beloved Upper West Side!.   #BringingBackBranscombe

With many thanks to Carolyn Sebron for interviewing me for her web series, C'est Sebron.  The twenty two year journey of creating The Gena Branscombe Project from finding Miss Branscombe's music, recording her songs, my one-woman show, the performance of Pilgrims of Destiny, all the people involved and now our scholarship fund are explained.  It's quite the journey and one for which I have great pride.  Thank you, Carolyn.     #BringingBackBranscombe

Dating back to 1929 the six degrees of separation theory was first proposed by a Hungarian writer, Frigyes Karinthy.   By 1967 a sociologist tested the theory and proved that an unknown person is connected to someone you know through six other people.   The theory proves how small the world is. Then, there are experiences where the separation is even smaller, maybe one degree of separation.   Recently it came to me that through one degree of separation I had known of a child who died in the 1918-1919 flu epidemic, the Spanish flu.   Yes, this was a century ago. Reading Dr. Laurine Elkins Marlow’s dissertation on Gena Branscombe, the composer recounted the influenza outbreak and how it tragically affected her family.   Their three year old daughter Betty died of the flu. Reading the description of the family’s illness with Gena caring for her husband and three daughters was heart-wrenching. Later I had the privilege of meeting Gena Tenney Phenix, ...

Among my most treasured items is a packet of letters, Christmas cards and birthday cards from my Grandma Shimeta.  The envelopes and letters are tied together with a ribbon.  They represent my communication with my Grandma from my college years until I was married.  There in her shaky penmanship she tells me about her garden, fruit trees in her yard, my cousins, aunts and uncles, her neighbors, which people stopped by her house for a visit and stayed for dinner and what she would be doing for any given holiday.  Her word usage and verb conjugations are, if nothing else, creative as English was her sixth language and she only had an eighth grade education.  Yet, as I read them I can see her sitting at her kitchen table writing, smell the food she may have cooked for lunch or dinner and imagine being in her presence or staying in her warm, inviting home.  Those pieces of paper, my Grandma’s letters, are my history with her. Letters……hand written letters ...

Research.....that daunting word when you are a student knowing you have a paper due or a presentation to give.  Hours spent in the library going through materials and old books.  Or, research could be a scientist spending countless hours, days and years creating experiments that hopefully will lead to a breakthrough in medicine.  As researchers we gather all we have read and learned in the hours of reading and experimenting to create a paper, presentation and an announcement that will change the world. Life experience is research, also.   With knowledge and facts you have accumulated over your time on this earth, you can put yourself in a setting, observe your surroundings, imagine a by-gone era then try to connect the dots of facts, scrutinize details and come up with an actual retelling of a happening.  That may sound weird, yet, it works. Recently my colleague and friend, Dr. Laurine Elkins Marlow, along with her husband, Bill, and I made a trip...

South Devonshire, England, the village of Branscombe……that’s where Gena Branscombe’s paternal family heritage began.  Through her musical compositions and life style, she honored her British roots.  “Tea, we must have tea,” a line from my one-woman show probably best describes how Miss Branscombe lived her life.  Tea and small sandwiches were served when one had company, making conversation quite civilized!  Laurine Elkins Marlow, who wrote her dissertation on Gena Branscombe, told me that each time she visited the composer they would work together for a short while, then tea was served after which they returned to work.  Laurine has in her possession the tea cup that was officially hers during those working sessions. “Coventry’s Choir,” a choral work, was composed amidst the bombings of England during World War II.  Coventry Cathedral, known as St. Michael’s, located in the West Midlands of England was destroyed by the Luftwaffe on November 14,...

Sitting in my closet are two plastic storage containers that hold the physical history of my Gena Branscombe project that began in 1999.  Manila folders hold my handwritten research notes from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts where I found Gena’s original manuscripts, published works and Laurine Elkins Marlow’s dissertation.  Also in folders are copies of letters from Gena Branscombe’s family, my contract with Albany Records, copyright approval to record certain songs and also to print specific poems in the CD booklet, a fairly large  number of pictures, two 3-ring binders with copies of nearly all 150 of Gena’s songs, cards and letters from people who purchased my CD or attended one of our performances, magazine articles about Gena or myself, programs and publicity from performances of my one woman show and lecture recitals I have given.  In addition I found the original mock-ups of the publicity brochure I designed for “Life! Love! So...

Satin covered buttons attached to the back of a hand sewn lace dress, snaps lovingly fastened under those buttons to ensure the lace does not tear. Small even stitches join the silk lining to the bodice of the dress. Yes, the dress was made by Gena Branscombe! We surmise she wore it to perform. In March 2002 my colleague and friend Laurine Elkins Marlow gifted me this dress because, “You need to have the dress near you.” A beautiful and treasured item! What does this dress represent?….a ten year friendship that has meant the world to me and born out of my Gena Branscombe project. It is now time for me to tell the story of people behind the scenes. For three continuous days after Gena Branscombe’s death in July 1977, Laurine labored in Miss Branscombe’s apartment to organize and catalogue her original manuscripts and published music. Gena’s music was everywhere …..on top of the piano, under the piano, on the floor, on tables, under tables…….piles of music needing attenti...

Attending the Festival of Women Composers at Indiana University of Pennsylvania for the third time was an experience I shall never forget. Organized by Dr. Susan Wheatley, Dr. Sarah Mantel and their graduate assistant Rachel Hagar, the Festival presents concerts, lectures and presentations on the works of women composers, musicologists and performers both present day and historical. Several years ago, Dr. Laurine Marlow and I offered a lecture recital on the vocal works and life of Gena Branscombe. This year, I attended as an audience member to take in the wide variety of presentations, to meet new composers and old friends. The Composers-in-Residence were Dr. Deborah Kavasch and Dr. Rosephanye Dunn Powell and Hasu Patel, sitar, was Artist-in-Residence. From Wednesday, March 17 through Saturday, March 20th the days were filled with music by women. Dr. Kavasch presented a Master Class on extended vocal techniques and then performed a recital of her own works. Hasu Patel gave a lect...

As I continued my work recording the songs of Gena Branscombe, it was my desire to meet any surviving members of her family. After reading Dr. Marlow's dissertation I knew two of Miss Branscombe's daughters had died during her lifetime and then, hoping that genetic longevity played a factor, maybe one of the two oldest daughters would be alive. Gena Branscombe lived from 1881-1977; 96 years! Her eldest daughter Gena Tenney was born in 1910, second daughter Vivian in 1913, daughter Betty was born in 1916 and died in 1919 and fourth daughter Beatrice was born in 1919 and died in 1954. Maybe just maybe, one of those ladies was alive. In continued research I discovered that Miss Branscombe's music was under copyright. Martin suggested I call ASCAP to inquire if there was someone holding those rights. I called the ASCAP office, inquired about the holder of the rights, there was silence so I asked further, "Would this person be old?" The answer, ...