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Cecilia's Circle Sings of Women Past

Date 2/27/1997 12:00 AM | Topic: Features

March is Women's History Month, and Luther is celebrating with a three-part performance entitled "Sanctuary, Salon, and Stage: Understanding Music Through Women 's Lives." The series includes interactive presentations focusing on women's contributions to the arts. The performances will be presented by the music ensemble Cecilia's Circle and include: "Women's Voices from the Medieval Abbey," Tuesday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m., "Salon des Dames," Thursday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m., and "Women Making Music in the Sacred Tradition," Sunday, March 9, at 7 p.m. All three events will take place in the CFL Recital Hall.

Cecilia's Circle's members include Janet Youngdahl, soprano; Julia Andrijeski, baroque violin, viola; Vivian Montgomery, harpsichord; and Julie Elhard, viola de gamba. The ensemble presents concerts, lectures and residencies that combine music and scholarship to define the works and lives of women composers from 1100 to 1900.

Vivian Montgomery, harpsichord player and instructor of music at Luther, said that the group originated six years ago and has continued to take shape over the years. "We had invested so much in it that we felt like it was something worth pursuing," said Montgomery.

Reflecting on the roles of women composers in a field largely dominated by men, Montgomery said, "On the one hand, they [women] functioned in very different ways than men. Their audiences were different. The context is almost always different. You can also see that they were really equals, professionals."

Cecilia's Circle hopes to educate its audience about women composers. Montgomery says that she hopes the audience will remember that "this is great music, regardless of the gender. We need to open our minds in terms of where we look for music and how we listen to music."

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Sara Stromseth
Chips Staff Writer

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