Sarah Hagen - wonder women
“Why hurry over beautiful things? Why not linger and enjoy them?” So pondered Clara Schumann, remembered as one of the finest pianists of all time. Spurred on by enthusiastic responses to past editions of programmes celebrating women, in her program Wonder Women, pianist Sarah Hagen continues to delve into the music and stories of some of her favourite forgotten female composers. The 75 minute recital highlights piano works by 18th and 19th century composers, including Clara Schumann, Cécile Chaminade, Marianne von Martinez, and others.
A note from the artist
I began performing this programme after purchasing a disappointingly thin volume of music by female composers about 20 years ago. After reading through the music, I remember shutting the book and thinking to myself, there must be more music than this, and certainly more music of a better quality! I simply didn’t feel the collection fairly represented the music that had been created by women during the 18th and 19th centuries. So I set off on a musical treasure hunt, searching online, through old collections of music, and in libraries. I have found that good music is getting easier to find as scholars take more of an interest in researching these remarkable women. So, I am constantly refreshing the programme!
I am also continually fascinated by the stories of the strong women behind the music. These are the women who fought for equal pay as their male colleagues, who insisted that they could also have a life and a career outside of the kitchen, who chose to shockingly forgo marriage to be able to fully focus on their art. These are the trailblazers who are an invaluable part of our journey to gender equality.
I have especially found that high school students are particularly interested in hearing these stores. Somehow hearing the music makes the stories of female strength and resilience come to life for the students in an inspiring way. --Sarah Hagen
“Hagen is one of the most expressive piano players that I have ever seen perform…”
— The Guardian (Charlottetown)