Composers of the day: September 07

COMPOSERS OF THE DAY:

SEPTEMBER 07

CHIYOKO SZLAVNICS - CANADA

Born 07 September

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JOANIDIA SODRÉ - BRAZIL

Born 07 September

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Check here last year's composers of the day

07 SEPTEMBER 2019

ANA SOKOLOVIC - SERVIA

BORN 07 SEPTEMBER

Ana Sokolovic is a Montreal-based music composer whose contemporary pieces have won several awards in Canada.

An important figure in contemporary music, the composer Ana Sokolović has distinguished herself both in Canada and internationally. 

Her works, infused with Balkan rhythms, are influenced by different artistic disciplines and seduce an ever-growing audience, drawing them into a vividly imagined world. 

Her success is revealed through prestigious collaborations with Canadian orchestras, leading artists on the musical scene, as well as many Quebecois chamber music ensembles. 

Her varied repertoire, which has received numerous awards and prizes, includes several productions of her operas, such as Svadba which « seems to invent a phonetic universe of the human heart » (Le Monde) and The Midnight Court, which was produced at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

For the 2011-2012 season, the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) dedicated the "Hommage Series" to Sokolovic, marking the twenty years since she immigrated to Quebec. Her body of work was celebrated in 200 events taking place across Canada.

In addition to her activities as a composer, Ana Sokolovi is also a professor of composition at the University of Montreal. 

Source: Wikipedia and Ana Sokolovic Official Website

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Vez by Ana Sokolovic

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ELISABETTA DE GAMBARINI -  UK
BORN 07 SEPTEMBER

Elisabetta de Gambarini, in a letter from 1761, wrote she was "born in London, could speak English, French, Italian and German and had composed many pieces of music particularly an ode on his Majesty's birthday.” 

Her mother taught music to children of the aristocracy and her father, of Italian ancestry, was a counselor. Gambarini was best known as a mezzo-soprano, singing in the premiere performances of two Handel oratorios: Occasional Oratorio (1746) and Judas Maccabaeus (1747). She also performed in Samson and Messiah, also by Handel. As a composer, Gambarini wrote 3 volumes of lessons for the harpsichord which were printed in London and sold from her home. Lessons for the Harpsichord, Intermixed with Italian and English Songs, op. 2 was dedicated to the Prince of Wales. 

Elisabetta began her career singing in Handel's Occasional Oratiorio (1746–1747). She also performed as the First Israelite Woman at the first performance and sang in Judas Maccabaeu (1747)  and Joseph and his Brethren (1747). Her name also appears in scores of Handel's Samson and Messiah; however the exact dates are unknown.

She was the first female composer in Britain to publish a collection of keyboard music, The Six Sets of Lessons for the Harpsichord, published in her teens, dedicated to Viscountess Howe of the Kingdom of Ireland. Her music had many subscribers, among them were famous musicians, Handel and Francesco Geminiani as well as dukes, lawyers, barons, sirs, lords as well as captains.

The year before her premature death at 34, she was credited with performing a concert of organ music that she composed herself. It is presumed that she enjoyed painting but further details of her life and career are unknown.

Source: A modern reveal and Wikipedia

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Harpsichord Sonata No. 5 in C Major by Elisabetta de Gambarini

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