March on with a video playlist curated specifically for Women’s History Month

The artistic contributions of women are the focus of expanded content offered throughout Women’s History Month in March.

Audiences can access a video playlist of 2020 performances of works by women composers recorded for the CSO Sessions and Civic Orchestra of Chicago series on CSOtv, listen to a March 30 radio broadcast on WFMT-FM and CSOradio that marks Women’s History Month with a program featuring celebrated soloists and former composers-in-residence Augusta Read Thomas and Shulamit Ran.

Throughout the month, new articles on Experience CSO will focus on women composers and their music.

This playlist is no longer available.

Missy Mazzoli Death Valley Junction (2010)
Born Oct. 27, 1980, in Lansdale, Pa.

Performed by Concertmaster Robert Chen, Associate Concertmaster Stephanie Jeong, viola Catherine Brubaker and cello Karen Basrak, Death Valley Junction by the CSO’s current Mead Composer-in-Residence was featured in CSO Sessions Episode 9, which premiered Dec. 10, 2020, and included Dvořák’s Serenade in D Minor and Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik.

Joan Tower Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 1 (1986)
Born Sept. 6, 1938, in New Rochelle, N.Y.

Performed by musicians of the CSO’s brass and percussion sections, Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 1 was part of CSO Sessions Episode 8, which premiered on Dec. 3, 2020, and featured performances of Milhaud’s The Chimney of King René, Walker’s Lyric for Strings and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.

Jessie Montgomery Starburst (2012)
Born Dec. 8, 1981, in New York City

Recorded in at-home performances by members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Starburst was featured in the Civic Orchestra’s Episode 1, which premiered Jan. 21, 2021, and consisted of Tyshawn Sorey’s Sentimental Shards, Andy Akiho’s LIgNEouS 1 for Marimba and String Quartet, and John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine.

Caroline Shaw Boris Kerner (2012)
Born Aug. 1, 1982, in Greenville, N.C.

This performance of Boris Kerner featured Principal Percussionist Cynthia Yeh playing on pitched flowerpots with Assistant Principal Cello Kenneth Olsen and was part of CSO Sessions Episode 4, which premiered on Oct. 22, 2020, and included performances of string quintets by Mozart and Brahms.

Florence Price Juba Dance from Symphony No. 1 in E Minor (1932)
Born April 9, 1887, in Little Rock, Ark.
Died June 3, 1953, in Chicago

Recorded in at-home performances by members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Juba Dance from Price’s Symphony No. 1 was featured with a selection of videos, which premiered June 21, 2020, as part of the CSO’s Virtual Day of Music celebration.

Paola Prestini G-Force, for Mickey (2014)
Born in 1975 in Trento, Italy

Featuring Principal Percussionist Cynthia Yeh on vibraphone with violins Ni Mei and Gina DiBello, viola Danny Lai and Assistant Principal Cello Kenneth Olsen, G-Force, for Mickey was part of CSO Sessions Episode 6, which premiered Nov. 12, 2020, and included performances of Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s String Quartet No. 1 (Calvary) and Mendelssohn’s Octet.

Courtney Bryan Dust to Dust from Requiem (2020)
Born in New Orleans

Recorded in 2020 during at-home performances by vocalists from the Quince Ensemble, Dust to Dust is an excerpt of Bryan’s MusicNOW-commissioned work.

Missy Mazzoli Still Life With Avalanche (2009)
Born Oct. 27, 1980, in Lansdale, Pa.

Performed by musicians of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Still Life With Avalanche was released on Feb. 18, 2021, as part of Episode 2: Shared Reality, curated by Civic Orchestra Fellows. The episode also featured Nicole Mitchell’s Symbology #3, Jeff Scott’s Startin’ Sumthin’, Rapid Eye Movements by Lithuanian composer Justina Repečkaitė and Lisa Atkinson’s aponea.

Nicole Mitchell Symbology #3 (2005)
Born 1967, in Syracuse, N.Y.

Performed by musicians of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Symbology #3 was released on Feb. 18, 2021, as part of Episode 2: Shared Reality, curated by Civic Orchestra Fellows. The episode also featured Missy Mazzoli’s Still Life With Avalanche, Jeff Scott’s Startin’ Sumthin’, Rapid Eye Movements by Lithuanian composer Justina Repečkaitė and Lisa Atkinson’s aponea.

Florence Price Five Folksongs in Counterpoint for String Quartet (1951) — excerpt
Born April 9, 1887, in Little Rock, Ark.
Died June 3, 1953, in Chicago

Performed by CSO violins Gina DiBello and Sylvia Kim Kilcullen, viola Catherine Brubaker and cello Katinka Kleijn, Five Folksongs in Counterpoint is featured in CSO Sessions Episode 14, which premiered on Feb. 25, 2021, and includes Beethoven’s Duet with Two Obligato Eyeglasses for Viola and Cello and the Sextet for Two Horns and Strings in E-flat Major.

Jessie Montgomery Strum (2006) — excerpt
Born Dec. 8, 1981, in New York City

Performed by Assistant Concertmaster Yuan-Qing Yu, Simon Michal (violin), Weijing Wang (viola), Assistant Principal Cello Kenneth Olsen and Principal Bass Alexander Hanna, Strum is featured in CSO Sessions Episode 15, which premiered on March 11, 2021, and includes Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat Major.