Women’s Day

Francesca Caccini (1587-1641)

Her music played an important role in the development of the traditional Italian school of singing, becoming a step toward the development of the romantic “bel canto”.

Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)

Strozzi mainly composed cantatas and arias which were expertly and lyrically written for soprano voice.

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847)

Her music is known for its intense lyricism as well as the neo-baroque compositional procedures used throughout; she was very interested in music history (particularly the music of Bach).

Clara Schumann (1818-1886)

She was acclaimed as one of the best pianists in Europe, sometimes called the “Queen of the Piano”. Most of her compositions are for solo piano and are extremely virtuosic.

Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade (1857-1944)

Outside of piano and vocal music, Chaminade also wrote a comic opera, a ballet, and a choral symphony. One of her most performed pieces today is her flute concertino.

Nora Douglas Holt (ca.1885-1974)

Nora Douglas Holt was an American singer, composer and music critic. She was the first African American to receive a master’s degree in the United States and composed more than 200 works of music.

Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023)

Saariaho has received several prestigious awards for her music, including the Grawemeyer Award, The Wihuri Prize, The Nemmers Prize, The Sonning Prize, and the Polar Music Prize.