The more you know, the more you enjoy! Uncover the secrets behind the most captivating works of the Summer Festival in our free three-part lecture series. Each lecture will be offered publicly in two formats: in-person at our Center for Chamber Music and online via Zoom. Join us in Seattle or enjoy from the comfort of your home, wherever you are!
Attendance is free, registration required.
Lecture #2
Women's University Club (WUC)
Kristi Brown-Montesano
“Struggling to be Heard: The Creative Life of Rebecca Clarke”
The pioneering violist Rebecca Clarke once described in her diary the elation she experienced after composing, how she was “flooded with a wonderful feeling of potential power…that made anything seem possible.” Clarke’s successful journey to becoming a recognized composer—during a time when women rarely gained a foothold in that profession—required every ounce of that optimistic sense of potential. Forced to leave her studies at the Royal College of Music after her father disowned her, Clarke chiseled out a remarkable legacy of music and performances. This presentation will explore Clarke’s life and works, with special attention to the early years leading to Morpheus (1917) for viola and piano.
A public scholar, educator, and musicologist, Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano finds joy in teaching people about music and culture. From 2003–22, she served as Chair of Music History at the Colburn Conservatory, helping to shape the degree programs of that institution. Brown-Montesano is currently in her fourth year as a Lecturer in Musicology at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, where she has the privilege of working with a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Brown-Montesano is also an active scholar-educator with many of Southern California’s acclaimed musical organizations, including the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, La Jolla Music Society, and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. A respected opera scholar, Brown Montesano collaborates regularly with the Los Angeles Opera on a variety of educational initiatives, from pre-performance talks and podcasts to “Opera for Educators” seminar lectures. Her book, Understanding the Women of Mozart’s Operas—originally published by the University of California Press in 2007—was reissued in paperback in 2021, responding to a growing new readership interested in fresh, feminist critique of opera culture and reception. Dr. Brown-Montesano’s other research areas include opera and children, classical music in contemporary media, the popular reception of J.S. Bach in postwar America, and various manifestations of Sherlock Holmes as musician, including the mystery of his preference for old violins. For more information, please visit kristibrownmontesano.com.
You may also like the following events from Seattle Chamber Music Society:
- This Sunday, 6th July, 02:00 pm, Summer Festival Concert 1: Haydn, Enescu, Mendelssohn in Seattle
- Next Tuesday, 8th July, 07:30 pm, Summer Festival Concert 2: Milhaud, Beethoven, Franck in Seattle
- Next Thursday, 10th July, 07:30 pm, Summer Festival Concert 3: Mozart, Schubert, Brahms in Seattle
Also check out other
Music events in Seattle,
Entertainment events in Seattle,
Festivals in Seattle.
