ROCHESTER, NY – Women take center stage this month in a community concert celebrating both Music in Our Schools Month and Women’s History Month. The newly formed Women’s Chorale at the Eastman School of Music has invited four local middle school and high school women’s choirs to join them for a benefit concert to take place at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 28, at Roth Middle School Auditorium (4000 E. Henrietta Rd., Henrietta). The concert is free and open to the public, but donations will be accepted, with proceeds benefiting Alternatives for Battered Women.
The program will include works by several female composers, including the world premiere of a piece by Eastman senior Anna Johnson, a jazz and music education major, and a performance of the traditional Irish folk song, "Danny Boy." The chorale also will perform Cantate Domino by Ruth Watson Henderson with the women’s choruses from Spencerport and Greece Athena high schools, and the girls’ choruses from Rush-Henrietta’s Roth and Burger middle schools. At intermission, Eastman musicology professor Ellen Koskoff will present a brief talk about women and music, geared toward young girls ages 12-17.
Formed last fall under the direction of Susan Conkling, associate professor of music education at Eastman, the Eastman Women’s Chorale includes 21 members – Eastman students, music teachers and choral directors from local schools, and others from the community. The group’s mission is to become a self-governing ensemble in which participants can gain experience and support in a variety of aspects of music. The members take turns warming up the group, conducting, providing piano accompaniment for rehearsals and performances, proposing repertoire, and making decisions about the group’s activities. The chorale is committed to using music to connect with women throughout the Rochester community.
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