2020 Festival

Leading up to our 20th anniversary season, the Women Composers Festival of Hartford is returning to where it all started: The Hartt School. Held over three days, the 2020 Festival will include a welcome concert and reception, Forum, Student Composers Workshop, Music Marathon, and Ensemble-in-Residence Concert.

Composer-in-Residence: Melika Fitzhugh
Ensemble-in-Residence: Craft Ensemble

The 2020 Festival will premiere a brand new work by Melika Fitzhugh, composed for Craft Ensemble, commissioned by WCFH.

We are are accepting applications for presentations and lecture/recitals for the Forum (Friday, March 20), and performances for the Music Marathon (Saturday, March 21).

The 2020 Call for Scores is open for string quartet submissions, to be reviewed by selection committee and Craft Ensemble. The winning selections will be performed during the Ensemble-in-Residence Concert (Saturday, March) alongside the featured commission by Composer-in-Residence, Melika Fitzhugh.

The 2020 Women Composers Festival of Hartford is being held at The Hartt School as part of the Hartt 100 celebration. Our thanks to The Hartt School and Dean Larry Alan Smith, Hartt Community Division and Director Noah Blocker-Glynn for their support.

Women Composers Festival of Hartford is looking for Connecticut composers for a collaboration as part of our upcoming 20th anniversary celebration! We will be commissioning a composer (or composers) to write a piece, 6 – 20 minutes in length, for dance. The collaboration with be with The Hartford Dance Collective and the Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra, and will premiere during the our 2020/21 season. Interested CT composers can fill out the application here. Submissions due JULY 14, 2019.

This year’s Women Composers Festival of Hartford was a tremendous success! We hope you enjoyed all of the festival events and discovered some new composers and pieces you love. We are proud to continue our mission to perform and promote the work of women composers. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the talented, passionate, and dedicated performers, composers, and presenters, and to our enthusiastic and growing audience.
Thank you for your attendance and continued support!

See the full photo gallery from photographer Michael Zager.

Thanks especially to our Keynote Speaker, Liz Miller; Ensemble-in-Residence, The Nouveau Classical Project; and Composer-in-Residence, Jennifer Jolley.
And special thanks to our hosts Dan Roman and Trinity College, and Jack Pott and Asylum Hill Congregational Church.

The Women Composers Festival of Hartford announces its 2019 Festival, celebrating the diversity of women’s music, March 29 and 30. Festival events, including a symposium and performances of works by historical and contemporary women composers, will be held at Trinity College and Asylum Hill Congregational church. This year’s Festival features Composer-in-Residence, Jennifer Jolley, and Ensemble-in-Residence, The Nouveau Classical Project, as well as a screening of the newly completed documentary of the 2018 Festival.

If you are planning to attend multiple events, you can purchase a Festival pass, which grants access to all concerts, workshops, and presentations held throughout the weekend.

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The Women Composers Festival of Hartford continues its annual tradition of celebrating the diversity of women’s music with its 2019 Festival, scheduled to take place March 29 & 30, 2019. This year’s festival features Composer-in-Residence Jennifer Jolley and Ensemble-in-Residence The Nouveau Classical Project. The Festival will include performances of historical and living women composers held at iconic Hartford institutions Trinity College and Asylum Hill Congregational Church. We are very excited to also be showing the completed documentary about the 2018 Festival and the overall organization during the Festival!

Purchase a festival pass for admission to all festival events and concerts. Tickets for individual concerts and events are also available.

2019 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Friday, March 29, 2019
All events will take place in Gruss Hall (located in the Austin Arts Center) at Trinity College

9:00 am – 4:00 pm: Women Composers Forum
6:00 pm: Student Composers Workshop with The Nouveau Classical Project
7:45 pm: Score Call Winners Open Dress Rehearsal with The Nouveau Classical Project

Saturday, March 30, 2019

9:00 am – 5:00 pm: Music Marathon, Gruss Hall (located in the Austin Arts Center) at Trinity College
7:00 pm: Pre-concert talk by Jennifer Jolley, Asylum Hill Congregational Church
7:30 pm: The Nouveau Classical Project Concert featuring a newly commissioned work by Jennifer Jolley and the winning pieces selected from the Score Call, Asylum Hill Congregational Church