Photo by Pete Schulte

Join North Valley Symphony Orchestra (NVSO) on Saturday, March 12 at 7 p.m. at North Canyon High School Auditorium, 1700 E. Union Hills Drive, as they recognize the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage by performing music written by women. Attendees will hear Tower’s “Sixth Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman,” Chaminade’s “Callirhoe Suite,” “Op. 37,” and Beach’s “Gaelic Symphony.” 

“NVSO is excited to feature three very successful women composers at our March 12 concert,” says NVSO Music Director Kevin Kozacek.

Amy Beach’s “Symphony in E Minor” was written in 1894 and was the first symphony composed and published by a female American composer. The symphony employs numerous English, Irish, and Scottish melodies, so Beach subtitled the work the “Gaelic Symphony.” Audience members will enjoy the folk-like feeling evoked by the piece.

Cécile Chaminade was a French composer, and NVSO will perform a suite of four movements from her ballet “Callirhoë,” written in 1888. The piece is rich with playful melodies and motifs, and it is easy to visualize ballerinas dancing to the music.

Joan Tower is currently a very successful American composer—in 2020 she was awarded the annual Gold Baton award from the League of American Orchestras for her contribution to the field of orchestral music. The concert will open with her piece titled “Sixth Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman,” which was written in 2014. This piece is the sixth in a series of pieces that Tower has written that celebrates the risk-takers and uncommon women of today.

“The theme of the concert featuring women composers was originally intended to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in America. In 1919 congress passed the 19th Amendment guaranteeing a woman’s right to vote and the states finished ratification in 1920,” Kozacek explains. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NVSO had to cancel this concert exactly two years ago and we are proud to be able to perform it this year. We certainly hope that numerous community members will attend the unique event.”

 

The concert is sponsored by CASCO Financial, and the season is sponsored by Bryan and Andrea Crouch of The Crouch Group. NVSO is committed to making concert tickets affordable for all, according to the organization. Tickets are now on sale for $5 each. Purchase tickets at the NVSO website, northvalleysymphony.org, or by calling 623-980-4628.