The North/South Chamber Orchestra to Celebrate Women Composers With Event in March
The performance will take place on March 10.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Mar. 05, 2025
The North/South Chamber Orchestra, directed by Max Lifchitz, will celebrate the achievements of women composers on Monday evening, March 10.
The event will introduce the New York City public to compositions by Dinah Bianchi, Sheli Nan, Eurydice V. Osterman, and Barbara Rettagliati.
The free-admission concert will start at 7 PM and end around 8:30 PM. It will be held at the intimate and acoustically superior auditorium of Christ & St Stephen's Church (120 West 69th St - between Broadway and Columbus) on Manhattan's Upper West Side. First come, first served. No registration or tickets are required.
North/South Consonance's concert activities are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support from the BMI Foundation, the Music Performance Trust Fund, the Zethus Fund, and contributions from numerous generous individual donors.
ABOUT THE COMPOSERS and THEIR MUSIC
Dinah Bianchi creates music that is vibrant and exciting-sublime and beautiful, with a communicative power that inspires the creative spirit of all artists. Fanfare Magazine noted that her music, "...cries out to be heard." Her style combines elements from the past and the present, resulting in music that serves as an extension of modern tradition while honoring the ongoing evolution of the craft through the blending of time, space, and sound. Isolation aims to express the intense emotions individuals may feel during unwanted solitude. It is a direct response to the forced separation of orchestral performers due to the pandemic restrictions. To convey a wide array of feelings, the music showcases various moods; at times, it is uncomfortable, stark, and jarring, while at other moments, it can seem beautiful and comforting.
Born and raised in New York City, Sheli Nan now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is active as a composer, writer, teacher, and harpsichordist. Her works have been recognized with awards from The American Prize and the Zellerbach Foundation, and they have been performed throughout the US and Europe. The press has described her music as "soulful and playful, a breath of fresh air." In writing Flash Forward, Nan aimed to "recapture the optimism that has always guided us and to suggest that we allow music and gratitude to lead us toward grace and forgiveness. We have all stumbled both as a nation and as individuals. Let us find the strength to persevere."
Eurydice V. Osterman is a Fulbright scholar whose works have been performed internationally. An accomplished organist and choral conductor, she is the first African American to earn a doctorate in composition from The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. She has served as the Chair of the music departments at both Oakwood University in Alabama and Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica. Her work, Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., is a heartfelt expression of admiration and gratitude for the great civil rights leader.
Barbara Rettagliati trained at the Piacenza Conservatory in her native Italy. She taught at the Bellini and Cherubini Conservatories before relocating to Switzerland, where she devoted her energy to composing full-time. Her works have received numerous prizes and have been performed by prominent soloists and ensembles throughout Europe, Korea, China, and Argentina. Aghi (Evergreen Pine Needles) was composed to memorialize a close friend while grappling with the pain of losing someone dear.
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