February 21, 2007 Women Composers From The MacDowell Colony To Be Featured in March 10 Concert

Since 1907, The MacDowell Colony has offered a creative sanctuary to artists, writers and composers, providing them with an opportunity to work undisturbed within a community of other creative individuals. Founded by American composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, Marian, on their farm in Peterborough, N.H., the colony has counted among its alumni some of the most distinguished names in American arts and letters, including Milton Avery, James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein, Willa Cather, Aaron Copland, Benny Andrews and Thornton Wilder.

Among the women composers in residence at The MacDowell Colony were Gena Branscombe (1881-1977), Louise Talma (1906-1996) and Elizabeth Brown (1953- ), whose works will be performed at noon on Saturday, March 10 in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C., 20540. The concert, which is free and open to the public, features Katie Lansdale on violin, mezzo soprano Kathleen Shimeta, pianists Andrew Harley and Martin Hennessy, and piano duo Sharon Johnson and Nancy Davis.

The concert is part of the Library’s celebration of Women’s History Month and is offered in conjunction with a new Library exhibition titled “A Century of Creativity: The MacDowell Colony 1907-2007,” which marks the Colony’s centennial. The presentation, which opens on Feb. 22 and remains on view through Aug. 18, will be a featured display in the “American Treasures of the Library of Congress” exhibition in the Southwest Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building. Exhibition hours are 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.