Spring 2021 Journal eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021 Table of Contents 3 Notes from the Chair Carol Ann Weaver 8 From the Editor Fiona Evison 9 40th Anniversary of ACWC / ACC Diane Berry 12 The ACWC/ACC 20th Anniversary: Then, Now, and Beyond... A Festival of Music by Women Janet Danielson 17 Spotlight on Our Archives Elma Miller 25 Pioneering Compositrices of Canada Elaine Keillor 31 Anniversary Interview: Brenda Muller: Canadian Challenges for Women Com- posers, and the History of the Ardeleana Trio Patricia Morehead 40 Anniversary Interview: Sylvia Rickard: My Composing Life and Memories of Jean Coulthard / Entrevue: Sylvia Rickard Patricia Morehead 48 Panel Reports: Soundscapes and More / Muses Too Carol Ann Weaver 50 New Member Profiles 52 Member Opportunities and News All writers in the Journal are ACWC members, unless otherwise indicated. 2 eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021 Notes from the Chair In Celebration as ACWC/ACC Turns 40: Finding Our “Necessary” Voices Carol Ann Weaver An anniversary 40 years in the making – reason enough to celebrate! In 1981 when Carolyn Lomax met with Ann Southam, Mary Gardiner, and others to form what was to become ACWC, little did she and the other Toronto-based composers know that their work would expand to become an association of over 100 members spread across Canada from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, and from the Northwest Territories to the US and Europe, incorporating musical forms from soundscape to jazz improvisation, song to symphony, largely centred on innovative Western classical styles – music necessary to compose. In the early 80’s when ACWC1 boasted a membership of some 15 – 35 members, few questioned its predominantly European-rooted membership. But now in the 2020s, with some 110 members, we begin to think more about inclusivity. Currently, 95% of ACWC have European roots, with around 5 % Asian, 1% indigenous, and 0% African roots. So how do we broaden our membership in the next 40 years? At times we have been so focused on making musical statements as women that we have often lost the perspective that most of us are settlers, colonizers, and immigrants. (Nor is it effective for us to assume a position of guilt, which ultimately leads to paralysis.) Somehow, it remains our challenge to listen to the music of those who are indigenous Canadians, while also hearing music from our own various ethnic cultures, in a timeless effort to bring all our voices together. ACWC can become a powerful platform for dynamic musical/cultural dialogue if only we strike a match and light a fire of interaction with all our various ethnic communities in Canada. CBC Radio One sounds us into deeper levels of indigenous cultural issues and music via the Sunday evening shows, “Unreserved” and “Reclaimed.”2 Themes range from heartbeat to reconnection to Sixties Scoop survivors turning their stories into music. I rarely miss a show, hearing how 1 Francophone members prefer Association des compositrices canadiennes to the previous l’Association des femmes compositeurs canadiennes. So, we are now Association of Canadian Women Composers/Association des compositrices canadiennes (ACWC/ACC), still shortened to ACWC. 2 CBC Radio One: Unreserved at https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved and Reclaimed at https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-184-reclaimed, accessed May 10, 2021. 3 eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021 Canadian indigenous music often expresses an earthy necessity that I also hear within African music – the sound of necessary music. So, are we women and women-identified persons also expressing that which is necessary for us while becoming a beacon inviting those from various backgrounds to join us in dialogue? While we may wonder about our (mostly) Euro-rooted music within cross-cultural Canada, it is also important ask the timeless question when concepts of gender change constantly,3 “do women compose music differently from men?” Much has been written about this, but few conclusions have been reached. Feminist musicologist Marcia Citron, among others, concludes that “there are no stylistic traits essential to all women nor exclusive to women”4 partly due to the fact that “[Western] women have been socialized largely in male norms” (ibid). However, this is a new century, a new era, and a time when women-oriented organizations are becoming recognized for creating unique spaces for women’s work and perspectives. ACWC is one of many similar organizations internationally, whose mandate is to gather, present, and celebrate women’s work for what it is, not for what it should be, whether, as Citron suggests, a product of male-socialized norms, or a consciously feminized expression. How we write music as women and as women-identified persons cannot be prescribed or formulated, but it can be explored. Our composition titles alone may present clues as to what we are saying. For the 40th Anniversary ACWC Playlists,5 ACWC composers are invited to submit pieces on any theme of choice, thus providing a unique and fascinating window into chosen themes and voice, partially revealing what Canadian women are composing today. While a comparative study of themes within men’s compositions needs to be done, using the same sample size, this glimpse into our music offers us invaluable insights. Of the 66 pieces presented in the first five monthly ACWC playlists from January to May 2021, the following themes emerge in order of occurrence. Nineteen pieces deal with natural/environmental themes; twelve contain personal or spiritual 3 The Composer Diversity Database recognizes six names that could refer to women: intersex, non- binary, third gender, transgender, two spirit, woman. https://www.composerdiversity.com/composer-diversity-database accessed May 11, 2021. 4 Citron, Marcia J. 1993. Gender and the Musical Canon. Cambridge: University Press. 5 Playlists created by Amanda Lowry from members’ music – no themes specified: https://acwc.ca/2020/06/03/acwc-40th-anniversary/ accessed May 11, 2021. 4 eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021 themes; seven deal with abstract patterns or shapes; six name Western musical forms; four deal with disabilities, illness, or death; four refer to men as subject or author of text; three relate to liturgical or religious themes; three name geographical locations; two deal with love; two speak as mothers; one mentions time; and one describes a physical object. Revealing what? We know that in order for our voices to be heard, we women have often composed within formats basically created by men – dance, aria, divertimento, fantasia – as revealed by some 9% of these 66 pieces. Another 14% of the pieces contain abstract references to shapes, objects, or measurements, 6% contain themes connected with or alluding to men, 4.5% credit specific geographical locations, and 4.5% make Christian or liturgical references. Therein lies a kind of objectivity, if not at times, androgyny, where music is created within male-gendered formats and standardized traditions. In all, 38% of music in these playlists deals with themes conventionally expected from (“Western Classical”) composers in general, thus possibly allowing for higher acceptance from a wider base of listeners. However, the remaining 62% of pieces go in slightly less predictable, less traditional directions. Some 33% address women’s unique experiences – personal spirituality, relationships, love, illness, deaths, motherhood – requiring new formats that could challenge male-oriented, mainstream culture. And significantly, 29% of the pieces address the environment and the natural world, going beyond traditional forms, gender identities, and human being-ness. The necessity of writing about our planet, especially in a time like this, takes us beyond mere gender or cultural identity, giving us legitimate connections with the earth and its non-human denizens, while allowing us to bridge various gender, racial, cultural, and ethnic divides. Are women vanguards in this field of environmental music? Hildegard Westerkamp, arguably the most highly regarded sonic ecologist and soundscape composer today, is an active ACWC member. Her way of listening is changing how all of us listen, as she inspires us to hear the earth more closely. Westerkamp, Tina Pearson, another highly influential sonic composer, and I discuss our work in the ever-changing field of soundscape/electronic music in the ACWC panel Soundscapes and More.6 Also, the Board of Canadian Association for Sound Ecology (CASE), chaired by Andrea Dancer, with four women (three with ACWC backgrounds) and two men, has actively created projects such as “Listening 6 Soundscapes and More: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6K4eGP8oOs accessed May 18, 2021 5 eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021 in the Time of COVID”7 which reach far beyond gender, ethnicities, or cultural groupings. All of this is “necessary music.” Women are indeed creating a prominent voice within environmental music. A further way to understand how women work and what we are creating during the pandemic is to look at our activities in celebration of our ACWC 40th Anniversary. During the pandemic when physical gatherings for concerts or meetings cannot occur, we have searched our collective soul for ways to celebrate our 40 years as an organization. Thanks to our tireless 40th Anniversary Chair, Diane Berry, and to all our organizers, ACWC features 40th events and activities regularly. 8 Monthly playlists mentioned above, created and curated by Amanda Lowry, showcase members’ works each month. While we cannot travel, we can hear each other online.9 Virtual concerts