BORN 26 JANUARY
Fanny Hünerwadel was a native of Lenzburg and came from a long-established family of the city. She was the oldest child of the physician Johann Friedrich Hünerwadel and Speerli Regula, who were both avid music lovers. Hünerwadel was first taught music by her mother, and then studied piano under Philipp Tietz, Joseph Breitenbach and Ludwig Kurz. She also belonged to the local choral society.
In 1846 she began studied piano, voice, music theory and composition with Hans Nägeli and Alexander Müller (1808–1863) in Zurich. From 1849, she made public appearances as a singer and pianist, performing benefit concerts at the Universal Music Company in Zurich. She sang in 1851 to inaugurate the new Lenzburg organ. Also, in 1851 she visited Paris and London. In 1852, she played Rondo Brilliant by Johann Nepomuk Hummel in a subscription concert of the General Music Society of Zurich, from which today's Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich emerged.
In 1853 as part of her training, she traveled to Florence and Rome. In Florence, she took singing lessons with Romani. In Rome in 1853 she was guest of artists and families Corrodi Imhof and took lessons in singing teacher Parisotti. Hünerwadel died of typhoid on 27 April 1854 in Rome. Six of her seven existing piano songs were posthumously published in 1854.
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Sechs Lieder: III Im Frühling by Fanny Hünerwadel
Sechs Lieder: III Im Frühling by Fanny Hünerwadel
LAURA ELISE SCHWENDINGER - MEXICO
BORN 26 JANUARY
The first composer to win the American Academy in Berlin Prize, Laura Schwendinger is a Professor of Composition at UW Madison. Her music, performed by leading artists of our day, Dawn Upshaw (on tour 1997-2013; TDK/Naxos DVD), Arditti& JACK Quartets, Jennifer Koh, Janine Jansen, Miranda Cuckson, Matt Haimovitz, ICE, Eighth Blackbird, New Juilliard Ensemble, Collage, StonyBrook Premiere, Boston Musica Viva, Aspen Ensemble, Dinosaur Annex, Trinity Choir NOVUS, American Composers Orchestra and Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, and at Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln-Center, Times Center, Symphony Space, BargeMusic, Corcoran Gallery, Institute of Advanced Study-Princeton and Tanglewood, Aspen and Ojai Music Festivals; and at the National Arts Centre Canada, Théâtre Châtelet, Wigmore Hall, and Berlin Philharmonic, and was an American League of Orchestras Composer-in-residence with the Richmond Symphony in 2016.
Her reviews include..“Evok(ing) a sense of serene mystery and infinite beauty”, “evincing an acute sonic imagination and sure command of craft.”, “darkly attractive, artful and moving…” "talent to burn…ballsy, confident music-making in both writing and execution…proves that serious contemporary music does not have to dumb down to be immediately accessible and emotional”,“...her music has at its core her own impressive point of view... … displays an acute ear for engaging melodic contours and evocative settings”, “not a single moment in her works sounds contrived, formulaic, or artificial…intensely and strongly "alive", “This was shrewd composing, the genuine article. Onto the ''season's best'' list it goes.” The NY Times Playlist review of her High Wire Acts, “The works grouped together on this captivating disc… she sketches musical short stories of somnambulant fragility and purpose.”
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