New book celebrates women composers on International Women’s Day

Composers Anne Boyd and Elena Kats-Chernin are amongst those who will help launch Women of Note: The Rise of Australian Women Composers on International Women’s Day 2012.

Women of Note author Rosalind Appleby said she was thrilled that the Sydney launch of her book would be hosted by the Australian Music Centre to coincide with a day set aside to honour women.

“Women have made some huge contributions to Australian music: Peggy Glanville-Hicks was the first person to represent Australia at the International Society for Contemporary Music and won global acclaim for her operas, Margaret Sutherland was instrumental in pioneering modernism in Australia and today Elena Kats-Chernin and Mary Finsterer are likely to rank higher internationally than their male contemporaries. And yet it is almost impossible to find them in our historical records,” said Appleby.

Appleby, a music journalist who interviewed many of the composers for her book, said talking to the women then sitting and listening to their work was a privilege.

“I loved meeting the composers and getting to know their lives and music … It felt so precious to be recording this living history before it disappeared,” said Appleby.

Women of Note will be launched by Professor Anne Boyd at 6pm on 8 March 2012. Composer Elena Kats-Chernin will be joined by Tamara Anna Cislowska to perform a new work called ‘Vocalise’.

When: 6pm Thursday 8 March
Where: Australian Music Centre, Level 4 The Arts Exchange 10 Hickson Road THE ROCKS
RSVP info@australianmusiccentre.com.au or 02 9247 4677