Amy Beach: An Imagined Memoir, Saturday March 9
February 15, 2019
Amy Beach: An Imagined Memoir in Words & Music
Saturday March 9 | 3 PM
Hear the story of America’s first female composer of large-scale classical music – brought to life by performers Marie Harris and Adi Rule! Amy Beach’s "Gaelic" Symphony, premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896, was the first symphony composed and published by an American woman. An acclaimed pianist and New Hampshire native, Beach was a child prodigy and is often referred to as ‘the Dean of American Women Composers.’ In this moving tribute, Marie Harris plays the part of Amy Beach while Adi Rule provides musical accompaniment.
And don’t miss the accompanying exhibit from UNH, A Brilliant Life: The Musical Career of New Hampshire’s Amy Beach! On view in the lobby from February 7 to March 13, this traveling panel exhibit about the life of Amy Beach was created in honor of Beach’s 150th birthday by the University of New Hampshire’s Special Collections and the University Museum.
About the Performers
Marie Harris is a former Poet Laureate of NH and author of several volumes of poetry and children's books, including G is for Granite and The Girl Who Heard Colors. She has done extensive research on the life and works of Amy Beach, New Hampshire native and America's first female composer, and has created a tribute in words and music. Adi Rule is a soprano who grew up singing and doing theater in New Hampshire. She was a member of, and a soloist for, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, which is the chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Boston Pops. Adi is also a writer. Her next book, Hearts of Ice, comes out in September 2019 from Scholastic. Visit her online at adirule.com.
