- Dates
- March 6, 2026
- When?
- Currently
- Link
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"Let’s forget I’m a woman and talk about music." These words by the French composer, educator, and intellectual Nadia Boulanger (1887–1979) summarize the essence of the
Silenced Chords project. If we delve into the past, we find a wealth of writings that attest to the presence of women in musical creation, yet they have been little disseminated and studied. And so, while History remained silent, the past was being written, and in its unfolding, female composers continued to silently emerge. Being a woman and excelling was generally and largely linked to family ties with "outstanding" men in the same field, or to connections with the aristocracy or the bourgeoisie. It was at the beginning of the 20th century that this reality began to change, partly due to the acceptance of women into some institutions considered legitimate centers of musical knowledge, allowing them to study within their classrooms. Advances in communication and transportation contributed to making different realities visible, as well as to the recognition of human rights related to gender issues, starting in the second half of the 20th century. The paradigms and cultural assumptions responsible for upholding these stigmas surrounding women as creators gradually changed. If no one remembered a brilliant female composer, it wasn't because they didn't exist, as historiography has been demonstrating in recent decades, but precisely because they haven't been part of the canon. In this program, we will listen to works by female composers from the Romantic and 20th centuries who dedicated themselves professionally to music, some of them during periods in history when being female posed an obstacle to this activity due to social prejudices, such as Clara Schumann, Augusta Holmes, Galina Ustvolskaya, Amy Beach, and Germaine Tailleferre.
The Contrastes Trio presents a rich program featuring works for clarinet and piano by a number of women who have dedicated themselves, or continue to dedicate themselves, professionally to music. Some of these women worked during periods in history when being female presented an obstacle to this activity due to social prejudices, such as Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, Galina Utsvolskaya, and Germaine Tailleferre. The Contrastes Trio consists of:
- Marco Pastor, violin.
- Lara Díaz, clarinet and bass clarinet.
- Natalia Zapatero, piano
- Location: multipurpose room of the library (basement).
- Duration: 65 minutes
- Audience : adults
- Admission : free access until capacity is reached.
