ABC Classic will celebrate Women’s Day by dedicating four days to the music of female composers across the past 1000 years.
From Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 March inclusive, there will be 96 hours of music by women from the medieval period to today including music recorded especially by the ABC, and on International Women’s Day, Friday 8 March, programs will be presented by a line-up of all-female presenters.
Alongside regular presenters Alice Keath, Vanessa Hughes and Genevieve Lang, ABC Classic welcomes Stephanie Bendixsen (National Geographic presenter and former host of Good Game) to host the Game Show.
March 8’s line-up
Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe (Night Music, midnight);
Genevieve Lang (Classic Breakfast, 6am);
Megan Burslem (Mornings, 10am);
Alice Keath (Lunchtime Concert, 1pm);
Stephanie Bendixsen (Game Show, 3pm);
Vanessa Hughes (Classic Drive, 4pm);
Margaret Throsby (Evenings, 8pm).
Margaret Throsby, Australia’s first ever female TV news reader, will presents a four-hour program exploring female composers of the Italian baroque and says “Part of the joy of broadcasting for me has always been widening my musical horizons and discovering new music, and this festival promises an abundance of new discoveries.
“There are hundreds of brilliant pieces by female composers — from all eras of music history — that we just never hear, and I’m looking forward to both presenting as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations, and tuning in to the four days of broadcasts. I’m also proud to be part of a network that is leading the way in championing this music.”
Highlights of the four days include:
- In-depth focuses on Australians Peggy Glanville-Hicks, Miriam Hyde and Margaret Sutherland;
- An immersive six-hour overnight broadcast of the music of the 12th-century mystic Hildegard of Bingen;
- The world-premiere broadcast of the surround-sound concert piece Suppression Dam by contemporary Australian composer Natasha Moore, as well as music by Alice Chance and Kate Moore, recorded at the 2019 Sydney Festival;
- Premiere broadcasts of baroque works recorded by the Academy of Ancient Music;
- Programs dedicated to Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann;
- Full broadcasts of symphonies by Amy Beach, Louise Farrenc, Elisabetta Brusa and Elizabeth Maconchy, and the opera L’amour de loin by Kaija Saariaho.
Content Manager of ABC Classic, Toby Chadd says “This will be four days of celebration and exploration, highlighting a trove of brilliant music. The music of female composers has been neglected for centuries, and at the ABC we have a responsibility and privilege to champion this music.
“It’s about righting a historical imbalance, but it’s also simply about bringing great music to Australian music lovers. This festival will be an opportunity to discover stunning classical music from across 1000 years, and is part of our ongoing commitment to increasing the presence of female composers across Australian music culture.”
