WAYNE – Make plans to visit the campus of Wayne State College this week during a Piano Duo performance on Thursday, September 13.
Dr. Angela Miller-Niles, professor of piano and technology and staff accompanist Shelly Armstrong will perform their talents at Ramsey Theatre inside the Peterson Fines Arts Building.
The concert, starting at 7:30 p.m., will celebrate female compositions from the mid-1800s to the late 1900s. This event is free and open to the public.
According to a release, featured composers share a history of mastery and notoriety in musical genres often dominated by men. Amy Beach was the first American female composer to publish a symphony, which the Boston Symphony Orchestra premiered in 1896. French pianist Cécile Chaminade pursued her musical education despite her father’s disapproval. Her compositions were popular among Americans and her gramophone recordings prized by collectors.
Germaine Tailleferre also persisted in musical endeavors much to her father’s chagrin. She became the only female member of Les Six, an elite group of French composers in the early 1900s. Her compositions include orchestral and chamber music, ballets, operas and film as well as television scores. Irish-born Joan Trimble was the first female commissioned to write a television opera for the BBC. Much of Trimble’s works were composed for two pianos.
Contact the WSC Music Department at 402-375-7359 for more information.
