One hundred years ago this year women finally secured the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment, and many of their voices could finally be heard. To mark the centennial of that achievement, in February 2020 the New York Philharmonic launched Project 19, the initiative commissioning new works by 19 women composers, and partnering with other New York and national organizations.
With this season’s concerts cancelled and, therefore, many Project 19 premieres postponed, we invite you to join our suffrage celebration online, November 9–12, beginning with Philharmonic performance audio and culminating in a video broadcast, all shared free with audiences worldwide:
Melinda Wagner and Joan Tower, an audio broadcast of past Philharmonic performances of earlier works by two Project 19 composers: Melinda Wagner’s Trombone Concerto, with Principal Trombone Joseph Alessi as soloist, conducted by Lorin Maazel (performed in 2007, broadcast courtesy of Bridge Records, Inc.), and Joan Tower’s Sequoia, conducted by Zubin Mehta (1982) — Nov 9
Now Is the Moment: Women’s Advancement in the Arts, Business, and Beyond, a panel discussion, co-presented with Project 19 partner Catalyst, exploring women’s experiences across sectors and how current events have shaped the conversation. The participants are Philharmonic President & CEO Deborah Borda; Catalyst President & CEO Lorraine Hariton; National Board Chair and President of Women in Sports and Events Kathleen Francis; Project 19 composer Sarah Kirkland Snider; and, as moderator, Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson, Vice President of News Programming at Nickelodeon and Executive Producer of Nick News — Nov 10
Women Pioneers of the NY Phil, an archival exhibit exploring some of the women who played pivotal roles in the New York Philharmonic’s history, presented in partnership with Google Arts & Culture — Nov 10
Poetry readings of some of the 19 poems co-commissioned by the Philharmonic and the Academy of American Poets as part of Project 19, received by the poets themselves — Mahogany L. Browne, Marilyn Chin, Natalie Diaz, and Linda Gregerson — Nov 11
Nina C. Young, Tania León, and Ellen Reid, a video broadcast of the three Project 19 World Premieres that Music Director Jaap van Zweden and the Orchestra performed in February 2020, complemented by brief profiles of each of the composers, as Facebook and YouTube Premieres — available beginning Nov 12
It’s an immersive exploration of the rising chorus of women’s voices. Join us!
Project 19 partners include The 19th, the Academy of American Poets, Catalyst, Google Arts & Culture, The Juilliard School, Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School High School (M. 853), League of Women Voters of the City of New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and New-York Historical Society.
Lead support for Project 19 is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust and Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Mr. Oscar L. Tang.
