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music
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Tall,
taller,
tallest
Third Angle celebrates Four Tall Women
by
people leave really energized,” he says. “They’re
really happy when they leave, as opposed to
confused and perplexed and thinking they
have to like it but not sure they did.” JH
K athy B elge
women composers in the country— represent
more modem times.
Grammy winner Larsen will lead a pre
concert talk on women in music with Portland
lesbian conductor Joan Szymko, who is also
director of the Aurora Chorus. Szymko will
conduct Larsen’s “Neon Angel,” based on the
true story of an airline stewardess who fell out
of a plane to her death in 1962. The concert
will also feature the U.S. premiere of Larsen’s
“Licorice Stick.”
“One of the things we do best,” says
Blessinger, “is we create intimate events like
this where people have very close contact with
the artists and, in this case, with a really signifi
cant composer and learn something about
music that they didn’t know before.”
our Tall Women also includes “Celestial
Hymns” by lesbian composer Higdon. “I
had written an orchestra piece called ‘Blue
Cathedral,’ ” she shares. In that work she “had
the image of a glass cathedral in the sky. 1 also
imagined the stained glass windows singing.
Then 1 decided to write ‘Celestial Hymns.’ 1
imagined that’s the music that the windows
would be singing.”
Higdon comes from a family of visual artists,
and that carries over to her composition style.
“There’s a really strong image in my head of
something to look at when I’m writing. It
inspires the music. There’s almost always a
graphic picture in my head," she relates.
Higdon just returned from a trip to
Washington, D.C., where the
National Symphony Orchestra per
formed her commissioned piece
“Machine." She’s received awards
from the Guggenheim Founda
tion, Pew Fellowship in the Arts
and International League of
Women Composers as well as
grants from the National Endow
ment for the Arts and others.
She’s had commissions from
the Baltimore Symphony, Brook
lyn Philharmonic, Atlanta Sym
phony and Oregon Symphony. As
a matter of fact, her 1995 Oregon
Symphony commission “Shine"
broke open many doors for her.
“That really kicked off a lot of stuff
for me,” Higdon relates. “Some of the
major commissions I got came after that piece.”
That may have also started the Philadelphi
an’s love affair with Portland. Her father and
brother live in Beaverton, and she visits several
times a year, claiming to love the fresh air, Cof
fee People shakes and Powell’s Books.
Higdon is disappointed she has to be in San
Francisco during Four Tall Women, and
she encourages people to come early
to hear Larsen speak. “She is one of
the best that I have seen, period.”
Higdon, who appears on the
1998 C D American
Lesbian Composers,
has had little trou
ble being out in the
classical music
world. “I don’t
think it’s too
much of an
issue. No
one’s ever
said anything
about it.” She
and her part
ner have
been together
22 years
(which is some
thing considering
Higdon is only
40).
Coming from a
family of
artists, she
says even
her rural
Tennessee
relatives took
her lesbianism
well. Still, she’s a
bit different: “I prob
ably am the black
sheep of the family.
They’re listening to
rock ’n’ roll, and I’m
going to do classical
music.”
Third Angle execu
tive director Howie Bier
baum encourages peopl
to check out Four Tall
Women. “By and large,
T hird A ngle N ew M usic E nsemble performs
Four Tall Women at 8 p.m. March 28 in Reed
College’s Kaul Auditorium, 3203 S.E . Woodstock
Blvd. Preconcert discussion begins at 7:15 p.m.
Tickets are $l5-$20 from 503-224-8499.
KATHY B elge is a free-lance writer expanding her
taste in music.
PHOTO BY DAVID
PHOTO COURTESY OF PATENTED PHOTOS
ometimes there is a stereotype of clas
sical music ensembles that if you can
understand music when you hear it, it
must not be great art. We don’t take
that view," says Ron Blessinger, artistic director
of Third Angle New Music Ensemble.
New Music can certainly have the reputa
tion of being highbrow; Third Angle is out to
change all that.
“We do play all the abstract expressionist
music from the ’50s and ’60s,” Blessinger con
tinues, “but we also play music that is simply
beautiful music.”
Its March 28 concert in Reed College’s Kaul
Auditorium features the music of four female
composers: the late Ruth Crawford Seeger,
New York’s Joan Tower, Philadelphia’s Jennifer
Higdon and Libby Larsen of Minneapolis.
Four Tall Women was named with the
Edward Albee play Three Tall Women in mind.
“Tallness is a commentary not on height hut on
power, confidence, individuality,” explains
Blessinger. “That is certainly the case with
these four composers. They are very strong-
minded, strong voices in music.”
Four Tall Women is a survey of the history of
American women in composition. Seeger, step
mother of folk singer Pete Seeger, composed in
the 1930s. Tower,
Higdon and
Larsen—
three of the
Lesbian
most
composer
respected
Jennifer
and prolific
Higdon is a
tall, tall
woman
Third Angle New Music Ensemble delights
in the music of Four T all Women March 28
in Reed College’s Kaul Auditorium
GB r 111
bat hhous e
for
men
Club P o rtlan d
The M ost Men
The M ost Times
The M ost
jf //
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