University of New Hampshire
September 15 and 16, 2017
Submission deadline has passed
At the end of the nineteenth century, Amy Beach (1867–1944) and Teresa Carreño (1853–1917) stood at the vanguard of a growing number of American women pianist-composers who cut new paths in the art music world as they navigated expectations placed on Victorian women. In the process, they became role models for a generation of “new women” who were coming of age in a time of social struggle and emerging opportunity. Beach and Carreño traversed more than invisible gender barriers. As they traveled between such locales as the United States and Europe, and in Carreño’s case, South America, Africa, and Australia, their careers both reflected and shaped a web of transnational connections at the height of European colonialism.
In the year that marks Beach’s 150th birthday and the centennial of Carreño’s death, the University of New Hampshire Special Collections invites proposals for a celebration of the lives and worlds of these two women. Topics may directly address Beach or Carreño, or papers may shed light on matters crucial to understanding their lives. For instance, we encourage papers that examine:
- Contributions by American women (from North, Central, and South America) to music;
- American and/or female pianists’ experiences with transatlantic networks;
- musicians who traveled between the United States and South America;
- The relationship between female musicians born in the 1850s and 1860s and younger generations of women.
We welcome proposals for individual twenty-minute paper presentations, organized panels of three to four papers, and lecture recitals. For individual papers, submit an abstract of no more than 300 words along with a title and list of equipment needs. Panel proposals should include a 200-word abstract for each individual paper as well as a 200-word explanation of the session. For lecture-recitals, submit a 300-word abstract as well as a ten-minute recording in mp3 format.
Email submissions to beachcarreno2017@gmail.com by April 1, 2017 for full consideration. Presenters will be notified of the committee’s decision by June 1, 2017. Presentations will be considered for inclusion in a published collection of essays.
Conference Co-Chairs:
Liane Curtis, Brandeis University and Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy
Sarah Gerk, Binghamton University
Bill Ross, University of New Hampshire Special Collections
Program Committee:
Douglas Bomberger, Elizabethtown College
Liane Curtis, Brandeis University and Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy
Sarah Gerk, Binghamton University
Anna Kijas, Boston College