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Spring 2021 Journal
eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
Table of Contents
3 Notes from the Chair
Carol Ann Weaver
8 From the Editor
Fiona Evison
9 40th Anniversary of ACWC / ACC
Diane Berry
12 The ACWC/ACC 20th Anniversary: Then, Now, and Beyond... A Festival of
Music by Women
Janet Danielson
17 Spotlight on Our Archives
Elma Miller
25 Pioneering Compositrices of Canada
Elaine Keillor
31 Anniversary Interview: Brenda Muller: Canadian Challenges for Women Com-
posers, and the History of the Ardeleana Trio
Patricia Morehead
40 Anniversary Interview: Sylvia Rickard: My Composing Life and Memories of
Jean Coulthard / Entrevue: Sylvia Rickard
Patricia Morehead
48 Panel Reports: Soundscapes and More / Muses Too
Carol Ann Weaver
50 New Member Profiles
52 Member Opportunities and News
All writers in the Journal are ACWC members, unless otherwise indicated.
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eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
Notes from the Chair
In Celebration as ACWC/ACC Turns
40: Finding Our “Necessary” Voices
Carol Ann Weaver
An anniversary 40 years in the making – reason enough to celebrate! In 1981
when Carolyn Lomax met with Ann Southam, Mary Gardiner, and others to form
what was to become ACWC, little did she and the other Toronto-based composers
know that their work would expand to become an association of over 100 members
spread across Canada from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, and from the
Northwest Territories to the US and Europe, incorporating musical forms from
soundscape to jazz improvisation, song to symphony, largely centred on innovative
Western classical styles – music necessary to compose.
In the early 80’s when ACWC1 boasted a membership of some 15 – 35 members,
few questioned its predominantly European-rooted membership. But now in the
2020s, with some 110 members, we begin to think more about inclusivity.
Currently, 95% of ACWC have European roots, with around 5 % Asian, 1%
indigenous, and 0% African roots. So how do we broaden our membership in the
next 40 years?
At times we have been so focused on making musical statements as women that we
have often lost the perspective that most of us are settlers, colonizers, and
immigrants. (Nor is it effective for us to assume a position of guilt, which
ultimately leads to paralysis.) Somehow, it remains our challenge to listen to the
music of those who are indigenous Canadians, while also hearing music from our
own various ethnic cultures, in a timeless effort to bring all our voices together.
ACWC can become a powerful platform for dynamic musical/cultural dialogue if
only we strike a match and light a fire of interaction with all our various ethnic
communities in Canada. CBC Radio One sounds us into deeper levels of
indigenous cultural issues and music via the Sunday evening shows, “Unreserved”
and “Reclaimed.”2 Themes range from heartbeat to reconnection to Sixties Scoop
survivors turning their stories into music. I rarely miss a show, hearing how
1
Francophone members prefer Association des compositrices canadiennes to the previous
l’Association des femmes compositeurs canadiennes. So, we are now Association of Canadian
Women Composers/Association des compositrices canadiennes (ACWC/ACC), still shortened to
ACWC.
2
CBC Radio One: Unreserved at https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved and Reclaimed at
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-184-reclaimed, accessed May 10, 2021.
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eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
Canadian indigenous music often expresses an earthy necessity that I also hear
within African music – the sound of necessary music.
So, are we women and women-identified persons also expressing that which is
necessary for us while becoming a beacon inviting those from various backgrounds
to join us in dialogue? While we may wonder about our (mostly) Euro-rooted
music within cross-cultural Canada, it is also important ask the timeless question
when concepts of gender change constantly,3 “do women compose music
differently from men?”
Much has been written about this, but few conclusions have been reached.
Feminist musicologist Marcia Citron, among others, concludes that “there are no
stylistic traits essential to all women nor exclusive to women”4 partly due to the
fact that “[Western] women have been socialized largely in male norms” (ibid).
However, this is a new century, a new era, and a time when women-oriented
organizations are becoming recognized for creating unique spaces for women’s
work and perspectives. ACWC is one of many similar organizations internationally,
whose mandate is to gather, present, and celebrate women’s work for what it is,
not for what it should be, whether, as Citron suggests, a product of male-socialized
norms, or a consciously feminized expression. How we write music as women and
as women-identified persons cannot be prescribed or formulated, but it can be
explored.
Our composition titles alone may present clues as to what we are saying. For the
40th Anniversary ACWC Playlists,5 ACWC composers are invited to submit pieces
on any theme of choice, thus providing a unique and fascinating window into
chosen themes and voice, partially revealing what Canadian women are composing
today. While a comparative study of themes within men’s compositions needs to be
done, using the same sample size, this glimpse into our music offers us invaluable
insights.
Of the 66 pieces presented in the first five monthly ACWC playlists from January
to May 2021, the following themes emerge in order of occurrence. Nineteen pieces
deal with natural/environmental themes; twelve contain personal or spiritual
3
The Composer Diversity Database recognizes six names that could refer to women: intersex, non-
binary, third gender, transgender, two spirit, woman.
https://www.composerdiversity.com/composer-diversity-database accessed May 11, 2021.
4
Citron, Marcia J. 1993. Gender and the Musical Canon. Cambridge: University Press.
5
Playlists created by Amanda Lowry from members’ music – no themes specified:
https://acwc.ca/2020/06/03/acwc-40th-anniversary/ accessed May 11, 2021.
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eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
themes; seven deal with abstract patterns or shapes; six name Western musical
forms; four deal with disabilities, illness, or death; four refer to men as subject or
author of text; three relate to liturgical or religious themes; three name
geographical locations; two deal with love; two speak as mothers; one mentions
time; and one describes a physical object. Revealing what?
We know that in order for our voices to be heard, we women have often composed
within formats basically created by men – dance, aria, divertimento, fantasia – as
revealed by some 9% of these 66 pieces. Another 14% of the pieces contain
abstract references to shapes, objects, or measurements, 6% contain themes
connected with or alluding to men, 4.5% credit specific geographical locations, and
4.5% make Christian or liturgical references. Therein lies a kind of objectivity, if
not at times, androgyny, where music is created within male-gendered formats and
standardized traditions. In all, 38% of music in these playlists deals with themes
conventionally expected from (“Western Classical”) composers in general, thus
possibly allowing for higher acceptance from a wider base of listeners.
However, the remaining 62% of pieces go in slightly less predictable, less
traditional directions. Some 33% address women’s unique experiences – personal
spirituality, relationships, love, illness, deaths, motherhood – requiring new
formats that could challenge male-oriented, mainstream culture. And significantly,
29% of the pieces address the environment and the natural world, going beyond
traditional forms, gender identities, and human being-ness. The necessity of
writing about our planet, especially in a time like this, takes us beyond mere
gender or cultural identity, giving us legitimate connections with the earth and its
non-human denizens, while allowing us to bridge various gender, racial, cultural,
and ethnic divides.
Are women vanguards in this field of environmental music? Hildegard
Westerkamp, arguably the most highly regarded sonic ecologist and soundscape
composer today, is an active ACWC member. Her way of listening is changing how
all of us listen, as she inspires us to hear the earth more closely. Westerkamp, Tina
Pearson, another highly influential sonic composer, and I discuss our work in the
ever-changing field of soundscape/electronic music in the ACWC panel
Soundscapes and More.6 Also, the Board of Canadian Association for Sound
Ecology (CASE), chaired by Andrea Dancer, with four women (three with ACWC
backgrounds) and two men, has actively created projects such as “Listening
6
Soundscapes and More: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6K4eGP8oOs accessed May 18,
2021
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eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
in the Time of COVID”7 which reach far beyond gender, ethnicities, or cultural
groupings. All of this is “necessary music.” Women are indeed creating a
prominent voice within environmental music.
A further way to understand how women work and what we are creating during the
pandemic is to look at our activities in celebration of our ACWC 40th Anniversary.
During the pandemic when physical gatherings for concerts or meetings cannot
occur, we have searched our collective soul for ways to celebrate our 40 years as an
organization. Thanks to our tireless 40th Anniversary Chair, Diane Berry, and to all
our organizers, ACWC features 40th events and activities regularly. 8 Monthly
playlists mentioned above, created and curated by Amanda Lowry, showcase
members’ works each month. While we cannot travel, we can hear each other
online.9 Virtual concerts include concert pianist Jennifer King performing music
of Atlantic Province ACWC composers, live-streamed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on
March 8th, 2021 and organized by Amy Brandon.10 Upcoming live-streamed
concerts by a collective of Toronto-based ACWC composers and by SHHH!! piano-
percussion duo are also planned.
Beginnings: an ACWC History Panel features ACWC founder Carolyn Lomax, plus
Associate member/pianist Elaine Keillor and former ACWC member Elma Miller.11
Also, two engaging interviews with ACWC members, BC-based Sylvia Rickhard,
and Ontario-based Brenda Muller, are conducted by ACWC composer Patricia
Morehead.12 As well, we are invited to participate in a 2021 international panel on
Canadian women’s music at the Women in Music Fest in Moscow, Russia, as a
spinoff of the Moscow Fem Fest.13
As ACWC seeks to become more inclusive and connect more strongly with
Canadian indigenous roots, we realize that certain ACWC composers are already
there, creating paths and patterns for us. Evocative compositions by Christine
7
Canadian Association for Sound Ecology (CASE) http://www.soundecology.ca accessed May 18,
2021.
8
ACWC 40th: https://acwc.ca/2020/06/03/acwc-40th-anniversary/ accessed May 18, 2021.
9
ACWC playlists: https://acwc.ca/acwc-anniversary-playlists/ accessed May 18, 2021.
10
Atlantic ACWC concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHQGNLOpV-w accessed May
10, 2021.
11
Beginnings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A-elhcR4bU&t=27s accessed May 11, 2021
12
Sylvia Rickard interview: https://acwc.ca/2021/01/26/stories-from-acwc-members-interview-of-
sylvia-rickard-by-patricia-morehead/ and Brenda Muller interview:
https://acwc.ca/2021/04/25/stories-from-acwc-members-interview-with-brenda-muller-by-pat-
morehead/ accessed May 16, 2021
13
Moscow Fem Fest, from 2017–2020: https://moscowfemfest.ru/english#rec228193761 accessed
May 18, 2021.
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eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
Donkin and Evelyn Stroobach on Aboriginal Inspirations14 attempt to connect us
with our indigenous neighbours. In Victoria, BC, Tina Pearson creates a
multidisciplinary work, Witness: a button blanket dance, a river and a
courthouse, which she describes as a “truth telling event for First Nations youth
and elders.”15 And ACWC composer Karen Sunabacka’s Mama's Painting includes
“Rise of the Métis Nation” in tribute to her Métis grandmother.16 As well,
Sunabacka works to integrate her own indigenous and European roots, a task
which points the way for expanding and integrating diverse communities within
ACWC. As she embraces Métis dance music of her Winnipeg youth, she comes to
understand that “this unique music was not just a ‘leisure activity,’ but an
opportunity to create social cohesion in this area where winters were harsh,
challenges were many, and interdependence necessary for survival.”17 Is there a
better definition of “necessary music?” And could this integration become a
metaphor for all of us at ACWC as we expand the tent, invite a wider community
into our association, and create our next 40 years together? After all, our combined
voices are necessary, not only for us, but for the wider world around us!
Carol Ann Weaver is the Chair of ACWC/ACC. Carol Ann is a celebrated
Canadian composer whose music has been heard throughout North America and
in parts of Europe, Africa, Korea, and Paraguay.
14
The CD Aboriginal Inspirations, 2017 features Ottawa-based performers of indigenous and Western
instruments who play music by eight Canadian composers evoking themes and spirits of Aboriginal
Canadians. Available at CMC: https://cmccanada.org/shop/cd-ai6209/
15
as described at Tina Pearson’s projects page here: https://tina-pearson.com/projects-2/ accessed
May 10, 2021.
16
Karen Sunabacka’s work, “Mama's Painting, Mvt III - Rise of the Métis Nation” (2015) for Piano
Quintet is presented here: http://www.sunabacka.com/music accessed May 10, 2021.
17
personal email, Karen Sunabacka, May 11, 2021, used by permission.
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eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
From the Editor
A Heritage to Treasure
Fiona Evison
Welcome to the first of our anniversary special edition journals for 2021! It has
been exciting to prepare for what I hope will become an important memento of our
myriad of creative celebrations during this 40th year. Our members continue to
find multiple ways to create music and moments despite the restrictions and
disappointments of a seemingly never-ending pandemic—a situation not
unexpected from those whose lives are grounded in creativity.
As I have worked on the Journal over the past few months, I have reflected on
about mementos, memories, and my own treasured musical heritage. I grew up in
a musical family who encouraged my community involvement with music. Those
early experiences set me on the path which I continue to follow. A few
remembrances from those days still exist—a couple of grainy photos of me in
music competitions, and some warbly cassettes of songs still remembered.
Recently, I found my first written composition, hand scored in green pencil
crayon! It symbolizes my tentative first attempts to realize musical thoughts and
emotion. I also found my beautiful notebook of hand-written poems—evidence of
realizing that poetry was more than an academic exercise, but could be personal,
powerful, and rich with meaning—valuable lessons for a future lyricist.
In my own way, I am preserving a record of my musical life. So, I was intrigued to
read Elma Miller’s article on page 17, a modified reprint of her experiences with
the ACWC archives. Before digitization was common, hard copies of scores, tapes,
videos, LPs, programmes, posters, and other items needed to be stored properly if
they were to be kept for posterity. Elma’s article reminds us of the need to care for
this evidence of our own histories, which in turn, become a collective part of
ACWC/ACC’s history. Thus, I am curious. How do you archive your work? Do you
have a system, or is it a pile somewhere in your residence or on your computer? My
organization attempts often spiral into chaos, but I do have a portfolio binder that
documents my musical life. Perhaps we could encourage one other by sharing how
we manage our archives. If you send me an email about your efforts, I will compile
and share them in the next issue. In the meanwhile, enjoy this issue and celebrate
the heritage that is ACWC/ACC!
Fiona Evison, a first-generation Canadian community composer-performer-researcher
with a Scottish heritage, lives in Ontario, and is ACWC/ACC's Journal editor.
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eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
ACWC/ACC News
40th Anniversary of ACWC/ACC
Diane Berry, 40th Anniversary Committee Chair
Here we are, half-way through our year of celebration. Since
January 1st, there have been a number of interesting and exciting
online events, as well as fascinating features on our anniversary
webpage. All this despite our inability to hold gatherings and live
concerts, due to COVID-19. The pandemic has created a challenge for us all,
including the anniversary committee, and I feel that, so far, we are meeting that
challenge.
One of the most successful and popular of our celebration activities has been the
monthly playlist. Amanda Lowry has been busy for the past eight months or so,
receiving submissions and compiling a playlist for every month. On the 15th of
each month, she posts the music on our SoundCloud account, puts notices on
social media, and sends the links to Mary-Catherine Pazzano to post on the
webpage. Each month has featured a specific musical configuration. January was
music for small ensembles, February for solo vocal with accompaniment and
unaccompanied dramatic works, March was solo instrumental with
accompaniment and instrumental duo, April was unaccompanied instrumental,
May was electroacoustic, electronic, acousmatic, and soundscape, and June will be
music for a large vocal ensemble. The curated lists will continue throughout the
year, with December’s being the final one, and all will remain available through
2022.
We have also held two panel discussions in the first half of our anniversary year.
The first panel featured Carolyn Lomax, Elaine Keillor, and Elma Miller, all women
who were active in the ACWC/ACC right from the beginning. Carolyn Lomax,
along with Ann Southam and Mary Gardiner, were the women who created the
organization around Mary Gardiner’s kitchen table. Emily Hiemstra, our
moderator, asked them questions about the beginnings of the ACWC/ACC, the
reasons they felt the need for Canadian women to have their own organization, as
well as the challenges they faced, both as women composers and in starting an
organization created for women composers. It was a lively, and fascinating
discussion. Before the panel, Carolyn had looked through boxes and filing cabinets
to find posters and programs from some of the first concerts that consisted of
music solely by Canadian women. The panel had around fifteen people registered
through Eventbrite, with others attending through Facebook. It was also recorded
and posted on the anniversary page, allowing many others to listen at a later date.
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eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
Figure 1 (clockwise from top left) Amanda Lowry, Elma Miller, Diane Berry, Carolyn Lomax, Emily
Hiemstra, Elaine Keillor
On May 15th, we held our second panel discussion, this time featuring
electronic/soundscape/sound artists and ACWC/ACC members Hildegard
Westerkamp, Tina Pearson, and Carol Ann Weaver. Emily graciously agreed to act
as moderator again, with Amanda Lowry looking after the technical side, and
Diane Berry monitoring the zoom chat. It was well attended with around 25 people
registered, some having been sent the link directly and still others watching on
Facebook. The three women spoke of how they view their work, how they were
drawn into working with recordings and technology, how they approach what they
do, and all spoke passionately about listening to the world around us, as well as
protecting the natural world and its sounds.
The first concert of our anniversary year was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on
March 8th, International Women’s Day. Amy Brandon organized a concert of solo
piano music, with the wonderful name of “Hell in a Hand Basket to Heaven on
Earth: Music by Atlantic / Canadian Women Composers.” The composers who
were featured were Emily Doolittle, Monica Pearce, Amy Brandon, Holly Winter,
and Alice Pee Ying Ho. Pianist Julie King did a wonderful job of performing the
diverse and interesting music of the Maritimes. The venue was The Music Room,
which had some technical difficulties with the live-stream, and it had to be ended
not long after it started. Luckily it was also being recorded and so could be posted
on the website and on Facebook. Those who missed the concert, or who had been
listening in before the live-streaming was cut, would still have a chance to hear this
wonderful performance.
Through the beginning part of this year, we have been faced with postponements
and cancellations, and wondered if we would ever be able to celebrate our music
together. A concert planned for Toronto that was to be online was postponed a few
10eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
times, as was a podcast by the piano/percussion duo SHHH!Ensemble. The
podcast was part of a series entitle NightCaps and was to feature interviews and a
work each by Monica Pearce and Patricia Morehead. There are hopes both events
will go ahead in the coming months.
The anniversary page on the website has been useful in keeping members up to
date on those changes, and giving access to events that are online, along with other
interesting information. One section on the page is “ACWC/ACC Memories” which
consists of interviews Patricia Morehead had with long term members Syliva
Rickard and Brenda Muller. Over the year there will be more to come.
Another section found on the anniversary page is “Did You Know?” It contains
information on Canadian women composers who came before the formation of the
ACWC/ACC, dating back to the 18th century, with most from the early days of the
2oth century. These are women that many of us have never heard of and some of
which have almost been forgotten. February, which is Black History Month, told
the story of Hattie Rhue Hatchett, a Black woman composer from Southwestern
Ontario whose parents had been slaves in the United States, and who wrote a
hymn that was used by the Canadian Army to march to during the First World
War. March told about the Urseline and Augustinian nuns of early Quebec who
wrote music for themselves to sing as part of their worship, as well as music for the
young women they taught. April featured Elinor Dunsmuir, daughter of a Victoria
coal baron, who studied in Europe, wrote songs, a ballet, and chamber works—all
lost until just a few years ago. Each month will feature more inspiring Canadian
women composers from our past.
As the year progresses, we hold out hope that we will have the chance to share our
music in person, that those postponed events will be able to be held, and that life
will start to feel closer to normal. In the meantime, we are finding so many creative
and unusual ways to celebrate this organization’s 40 years, and look towards the
next 40 years.
Diane Berry is ACWC/ACC’s Secretary, and a composer based in Victoria,
BC where she continues to teach, perform, and compose.
11eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
Anniversary
ACWC/ACC 20th Anniversary: Then, Now,
and Beyond…A Festival of Music by
Women
Janet Danielson
Conception and Planning
The ACWC/ACC celebrated its twentieth anniversary on January 2002 with a
national festival in Ottawa. The festival’s aim was to raise the profile of women
composers in Canada, which at the time was shockingly low. Potential funders
were challenged to consider the following statistics:
How many women composers are featured in the current New Music Con-
certs Series? 15%
How many women composers are Associates of the Canadian Music Centre?
15%
How many women composers are members of the Canadian League of Com-
posers? 16%
How many commission applications for new works by women did the Canada
Council for the Arts receive last spring? 7%
How many works by women are cited in recent college textbooks on twenti-
eth-century Music? 1%
Then, Now, Beyond: A Festival of Music By Women set out to break the 15%
barrier in a significant way, as a benefit not only to composers in Canada who
happen to be women, but to all Canadians interested in becoming properly
acquainted with Canadian music. The festival was a collaboration between the
Association of Canadian Women Composers, the Ottawa Chamber Music Society,
the University of Ottawa, and Carleton University, and organized around a triple
focus of Then, Now, Beyond. Then highlighted the achievements of women
composers through Canada’s history. Now provided opportunities for hearing
recent works by Canadian women composers in many genres—chamber, choral,
keyboard, vocal, and electroacoustic. Beyond aimed to feature performances of
newly commissioned works, and readings of music written by student composers
12eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
exploring new genres, new aesthetic ideas, and especially new ways to enhance the
participation of women in shaping Canada's musical culture.
In addition to celebrating the achievements of Canadian women composers, the
Festival’s national scope would provide a unique setting for the exploration of
music from many regions of Canada, bringing together women from across the
country to exchange ideas and to learn about the musical leadership Canadian
women had displayed throughout Canada’s history. The Festival promised to leave
a lasting treasury of new musical works and to stimulate the creative activity of
Canadians for many years to come.
Festival programming covered the gamut of ensembles and genres: whether for
chamber ensemble, organ, jazz or electroacoustic music, the range and strength of
the Festival repertoire was to be an unequivocal demonstration of the breadth of
women’s musical creativity.
Festival Events
The festival concerts took place in excellent venues; for our electroacoustic show,
we secured a fine sound diffusion system and brilliant technician. The Ottawa
Chamber Music Society assisted with a promotion campaign that attracted more
than 1000 concertgoers—a robust audience for a new music event
in the dead of winter. Posters, brochures, and programs featured a
vibrant original painting by an Ottawa woman artist.
The opening concert featured a première by Linda Smith, Ribbon,
commissioned by the ACWC/ACC for the Duke Trio. Its spare and
sensuous drama set a high benchmark for the other new works
commissioned for the Festival: Albertan Vivian Fung’s
geometrically-conceived Toccata for solo piano, brilliantly
performed by Elaine Keillor; Nicole Carignan’s Time, Space and
Context: The Last 23 Days for solo percussion, with memorable
playing by David Kent whose deft handling of a bouncing ball made
it seem like just another instrument; Jana Skarecky’s haunting
Song of Life and Elma Miller’s arresting Oracle, sung by Ottawa’s
Seventeen Voyces; Hildegard Westerkamp’s tour de force,
Attending to Sacred Matters, an environmentally-attuned aural
feast integrating sounds from Westerkamp’s time in India; and
Anita Sleeman’s Cantigas for String Quartet. Cantigas was
premièred by Le Quatuor Arthur-Leblanc in the presence of
Adrienne Clarkson, Governor-General of Canada; it defined verve
and led to many more performances and commissions for Sleeman.
13eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
The seven new works were integrated into a varied programme which included
everything from a procession by Hildegard of Bingen to Hockey Night in Canada
by Vancouver’s own Dolores Claman to Elisabeth Raum’s outrageous T. S. (from
Men I Have Known) sung by Julie Nesrallah.
In addition to the Ottawa Chamber Music
Concerts, Studea Musica and the Canadian Music
Showcase under Gilles Comeau presented
Between Friends: A Grand Salon which featured
works by Canadian women for young performers.
To the delight of a large audience including Mme.
Aline Crétien, the youngsters performed with
great style and musicality. The crisp formality of
this event was balanced by an intense
presentation of Awakenings by Rebecca Campbell
(vocals) and Carol Weaver (piano), a rich blend of
Figure 1 Canada's Governor-General Adrienne
Clarkson and Ann Southam poetry, harmony, sound, and song.
A number of women were recognized for their
achievements: Ann Southam received the Friends
of Canadian Music Award, presented jointly by
John Burge of the Canadian League of Composers
and by Elizabeth Bihl of the Canadian Music
Centre, and the ACWC honoured Southam again
together with Mary Gardiner, Rhené Jaque, and
Anita Sleeman as Honorary Life Members of the
ACWC. Southam, Gardiner, Jaque, and Elaine
Keillor were also presented with gifts from
Studea Musica and The Contemporary Figure 2 Anne Southam and Aline Crétien
Showcase in recognition of their work for young performers.
In addition to the concerts, lively symposia were hosted by Dr. Lori Burns, Chair of
the University of Ottawa and by Dr. Deirdre Piper of Carleton University. Lectures
on pioneering women composers by Dr. Elaine Keillor and Janet Danielson drew
attention to the difficulties faced by women in pursuing careers as composers and
in getting appropriate critical response to their music.
Festival Support and Impact
Earned revenues and in-kind contributions amounted to nearly a third of festival
budget of $150,000; the remainder was generously covered by individual donors
(most notably Ann Southam), the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Canadian
14eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
Women Composers’ Foundation, the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Julie
Jiggs Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council of the Arts, and
the SOCAN Foundation. The Festival drew recognition to 44 Canadian women
composers through performances of their music.
The festival got an extensive review by Richard Todd in the Ottawa Citizen,
January 28, 2002. In a manful attempt to avoid sounding patriarchal, he
concluded,
Now that the Festival over, we can ask ourselves if there is some feminine
thread common to music by women. To my ears, at least, the answer is no.
But neither is there any common thread of mediocrity. Much of the music
heard in these seven concerts was of the highest quality, and the rest as least
as good as the average male composer produces.
There were a number of remarks from audience members, mostly positive, about
the high proportion of contemporary and near-contemporary works presented.
They represented about half, but in a musical culture healthier than ours that
would be the norm.
Participant feedback included the following:
The symposiums on theory and medium were both extraordinary to
hear. It was certainly a rigorous conference. The evening perfor-
mances were of a high order and I was pleased to hear all of the music.
I know I learned much about Canadian women composers and much
about contemporary music generally through the three days… each
event I went to included warm welcomes and excellence in the pro-
grams. (Feedback 1)
First let me say what a terrific experience the conference was. I was
struck by the authenticity of every woman present—no ego, no preten-
sions - just ordinary women doing extraordinary things. I was very
honoured and pleased to be a part of it. (Feedback 2)
I was able to appreciate the music and the 'bubbling' energy. (Feedback 3)
Personal Reflections, Twenty Years On
The 2002 Festival came at a sweet spot in Canada’s musical history. We were able
to exploit both the afterglow of Millenium celebrations and the brief surge of
public interest in women composers piqued by the deaths within weeks of each
15eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
other of Jean Coulthard, Barbara Pentland, and Violet Archer in the year 2000.
The festival also faced some looming shadows. By 2004, the CBC published its
infamous “Arts and Culture Research Study,” a thinly-disguised wrecking ball
aimed at programmes and structures like the CBC Radio Orchestra and Two New
Hours which had shaped and generously nurtured the careers of generations of
Canadian composers. Orchestral, choral, chamber, and electroacoustic music were
lumped into the monolithic so-called “genre” of “Western Classical”; while country,
blues, roots, singer-songwriter, folk, pop, and other similar genres were touted as a
better reflection of Canadian musical diversity. In Rebecca Draisey-Collishaw’s apt
formulation, CBC management embraced an “iteration of Canadianness based on
the output of a group of white guitar-playing men who established themselves as
central figures of the Canadian music industry during the 1960s and 1970s.”18
Our women composers refused to be discouraged by all these changes, and the
2002 ACWC Festival made good its promise: women composers in Canada have
decisively broken through that 15% barrier. For example, prior to 2002, the Jules
Léger prize was awarded to male composers exclusively with the sole exception of
Alexina Louie’s award in 1999. But since 2002, there have been seven women
recipients. Recent JUNO awards have gone to Vivian Fung, Jocelyn Morlock, and
Ana Sokolović, with women well represented amongst the JUNO nominees.
Though the two decades since the festival have brought some challenging
ideological shifts, economic pressures, and a disconcerting pandemic, women’s
musical creativity in Canada has flourished.
Janet Danielson teaches composition at Simon Fraser University and is a former ACWC Chair.
18
Rebecca Draisey-Collishaw (2018) ‘Traveling-in-dwelling, dwelling-in-traveling’: producing multicultural Canada
through narrations of mobility on CBC Radio’s Fuse, Ethnomusicology Forum, 27:3, 323-
343, DOI: 10.1080/17411912.2018.1532305
16eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
Anniversary
Spotlight on Our Archives
Elma Miller
Editor’s Note: The following article originally appeared in Off the Record, the newsletter of the
Archives Association of Ontario, 24(4), Fall 2007 as “Spotlight on Your Archives: Association of
Canadian Women Composers/L’association des femmes compositeurs Canadiennes.” It has been
adapted for this 40th Anniversary Journal edition.
It started one cloudy afternoon when the phone rang: “You have a COD package at
the Greyhound bus delivery terminal for pick-up.” I was expecting an archival do-
nation from one of our members. My Board had approved the charges and I was
ready for the package.
“Oh, you’ll want to bring cash,” she said, “We don’t accept cheques or charge.” My
side trip was first to the bank and then to the terminal.
I pulled up to the huge garage doors not knowing what to expect. Inside I paid the
delivery, got a receipt, and then she jerked a thumb over her shoulder: “They’re
over there, did you bring a trolley?” I scanned over the dim warehouse until I
found what looked like a small mountain from the distance: a haphazard pile of
over a dozen boxes of various shapes and sizes, fastened with swaths of duct tape
already peeling away. Despite this, the damage was surprisingly minimal and only
one or two boxes fell apart when the tape gave way.
Archiving seemed easy enough to manage – until I had to haul 17 heavy boxes of
books and records in and out of the car, down the stairs into the basement. Finally,
I had a chance to take a breather and
look at what I received. The panic set in
a little later, first gradually, then precipi-
tously. What had I gotten myself into?
What do I do now? Whom do I call? No
one had prepared me for this.
At this point, had I been more knowl-
edgeable, and known what an archive
One pile of taped boxes received in April 2005.
actually was instead of allowing my im-
Photo by E. Miller. agination to be fed by fictional books of
looking for treasure or ancient secrets, I
17eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
would have marshalled my organizational skills and gone through proper proce-
dures.
I imagined dusty, begowned academics in a windswept library at an urbane Oxford
college pouring assiduously through boxes of undiscovered mediaeval treasures as
if fingering Captain Cook’s priceless trove. Imagination run riot! Had I known a lit-
tle more about archiving I would surely have donned my gloves in the clear light of
day, carefully opened all these assuredly valuable boxes, prepared a list of con-
tents, assessed the damage, set aside the more delicate materials, composed a let-
ter of thanks to the donor, and affixed to it a proper deed of gift form for a signa-
ture and witness. Cataloguing would come later.
Reality is not so simple.
But I have gotten frightfully ahead of myself without an introduction. I am a free-
lance composer with diverse musical interests. In 2004, I became the ACWC
Chair/President. The Association, founded in 1980, had accumulated the typical
sort of records: bank statements, treasurer receipts, reports, cassettes, minutes of
meetings, correspondence, grant applications, musical scores, blurbs, photos, bro-
chures, books, newspaper articles, reviews, and other ephemera. This all piled up
and multiplied as the years went on and was tediously shlepped over the years
from one Chair to each successive Chair. This was a moderately effective system
until one Chair lived in an apartment with no space. The boxes were then delivered
to the Canadian Music Centre (CMC) in Toronto.
At about the same time in 1992 I had just completed a move to Burlington into a
house; more importantly, it was a house with a basement. Rumour spread quickly.
It did not take long for one of the ACWC/ACC founding members to give me a call
and ask for a favour. Could I please look after all this material? Impossible to say
“No.”
I drove into Toronto and collected both boxes, and thus I was dubbed the Associa-
tion’s “Archivist.” What that meant still wasn’t clear, but I liked the aura of its mys-
tery; moreover, it sounded better than a custodian or even a librarian, though I
harbour no disrespect to those worthy jobs. I’ve worked in a library, but I liked the
ring of being an archivist.
The thrill eventually lost its bloom since the question remained of what to do other
than to store the boxes. Time passed. As I continued to receive the odd package
from various treasurers, Chairs/Presidents, and composers, they were added to the
pile. It wasn’t until almost ten years later when as Chair myself that the Archive
18eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
suddenly increased by the aforementioned 17 boxes! A bit of worry set my thoughts
into motion.
The web is a wonderful resource when used effectively. I googled “archive” and
“Ontario” to arrive at the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) website. I needed
help, information, and advice; the AAO clearly in their mandate said it all.
I prepared a letter to my board, talked to the treasurer, and it seemed obvious that
in order for me to sort and catalogue what we had received over the years, I had to
become an archivist specializing in music; after all, I did not want it just sitting
here gathering dust or mold. With the ACWC’s imprimatur, I enrolled in Archives
101, prepared for the trip to Ottawa, and as the famous saying goes, the journey of
a thousand steps starts with a good introduction and a map.
The intense week of being steeped in archival matters gave me a certain confidence
and renewed energy to look at my accumulation of material in a more positive
light. Upon completion of Arch 101, the course materials started to sink in and sev-
eral strategies presented themselves as to what should be done first with the boxes
of musical materials entrusted to me. The key issue was to preserve and prevent
further deterioration. It was also crucial to be prepared for emergencies or disas-
ters.
I invited Carolynn Bart-
Riedstra, the AAO’s
Preservation Consultant
to be the keynote speaker
at the ACWC/ACC an-
nual general meeting at
the CMC. She received a
tour by the Executive Di-
rector, Elisabeth Bihl. My
collection was put into
stark perspective when
viewing the CMC’s base-
ment
library filled to the ceil-
ing with moveable stacks
(L to R) Carolynn Bart-Riedstra and Elma Miller at the CMC for the ACWC/ACC’s
AGM. On the wall is ACWC member, Violet Archer. Photo by J. Skarecky. so tightly packed that we
moved sideways in one
corridor. Here was music from composers across Canada stuffed tightly into
19eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
shelves. A recent delivery was on the floor, crammed with paper and transparen-
cies (real originals). I happened to know that a composer had just passed away and
these had been brought to the CMC by his family.
Carolynn’s observations and comments
were equally helpful and relevant to
both large and small holdings: being in a
basement, humidity, acid, further deteri-
oration prevention and protection were
common problems. Later in the keynote
address, she addressed issues specific to
composers—
that of paper storage, placement of
flimsy materials, and what to do with
cassettes and other forms of recorded
music. We had many questions and it
turned into a lively discussion.
Dilapidated cassette boxes before and after replacement by
sturdy archival boxes. Photo by E. Miller
The most significant gesture during Carolynn’s visit—and relevant to the psychol-
ogy of my newly acquired status—was the moment of receiving my very first pair of
white archival gloves.
After having examined more thoroughly each box, I formed a more realistic and
objective decision of what protective materials were needed and what could wait.
The interviews and recorded music of almost 75 Canadian women composers from
the 1970s - 1980s were the heart of this donation, some of whom had passed away.
If any were not Associate Members of the CMC, then those women would only be
represented here and maybe not anywhere else. I had to search for transcripts and
older published music, and replace boxes which were falling apart. I made up a
wish list and then an optimistic budget for our treasurer. We still had a small
amount of funds from a Canada Council Targeted Initiatives grant set aside for the
archive.
Other material donated consisted of textbooks, LPs, reel to reels, sheet music in
various sizes, and xeroxed copies of music. The rusting metal clips had to be re-
moved and I had to decide on an average size of box to hold this music. Order was
not a consideration for the donor; it appeared that some of the music had been
simply thrown randomly into patched up boxes with no logic, label, or explanation.
With this hodge podge of stuff, I still had to make some semblance of order with-
out losing context. That task would need time and it was better to tackle the job in
20eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
small amounts. I was sometimes diverted every now and then to read slips of com-
ments made by librarians or archivists clipped to the music.
I was familiar with
some of the compos-
ers published in Can-
ada or abroad in the
early 1900s, but
some were names I
had never seen. After
a few months, it was
still not obvious
whether I was deal-
ing with a pack-rat
mentality or with
course material for a
study of the music of
women composers.
(Left) "Canada Ever!" by Laura Lemon, 1907. (Right) "Athletic Polka" by E. Edith Whyddon, Perhaps it was for a
1897. Photo by E. Miller.
radio programme?
There was still much I had to look into in order to make a list of questions for the
donor.
While in Ottawa, I visited the music archivist at Library and Archives Canada
(LAC). My story of receiving a mound of boxes came as no surprise to her as she
related how the archives has a truck for shipment purposes. She certainly had my
sympathy as she had seen in much larger quantity the same sort of stuff. Catalogu-
ing was behind schedule but that was endemic to many archives with boxes piling
up. Her office was crammed with music everywhere.
Back in my basement I realized that all I needed was spare time to consistently
work through everything. Though I am grateful for the support, information, and
financial assistance I have received, it still doesn’t constitute a salary or income.
Time is at times hard to find.
It dawned on me, too, that there has to be a greater awareness amongst composers
themselves about their own legacy which, without any ameliorating assistance to
preservation, could just shrivel into dust. It was distressing to hear of a grieving
spouse or relative hauling the sad remnants of their possibly famous partner in life
to the curb assuming that it was useless to anyone else. I’m still looking for the mu-
sic by a member of ours who passed away two years ago in her nineties. She had
21eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
composed many works over 70 years but the prospects do not look good because
she had not deposited her music in all of the usual places nor at the CMC.
Another well known Canadian composer, recently deceased, had established early
a relationship with the LAC when he retired from teaching. Thus, a good amount of
his older music had gone to the archives in Ottawa, with some to the CMC. Before
he passed away, an archivist had already seen through his remaining sorted mate-
rials before the CMC came to collect what was to be left for them. A major figure in
composition, he was aware of the importance of his contribution and role in the
fabric of Canadian music; naturally, it went to where researchers and other mem-
bers of the public have access to it.
There is no real archive as such for Canadian composers. Many make the assump-
tion that once they pass away, it is up to others to figure out their legacy, not realiz-
ing that they may be jeopardizing their own history.
The ACWC/ACC archive is an exception.
The leaves were now falling in late 2006, and I received my issue of the Dance Col-
lection Danse newsletter (www.dcd.ca). It reminded me that Lawrence and Miriam
Adams of DCD were collecting equally diverse and similar ‘stuff,’ but with a focus
on dance. If there is any music to be found at the DCD, it is in recorded format, or
if there is a dance connection, say with choreographic notes in the margin as Igor
Stravinsky made for the Rite of Spring, then this sort of musical score would be in-
cluded. Lawrence Adams’ booklet, Building Your Legacy, covers the initial difficult
attitude towards being organized and other challenges, the dos and don’ts, as well
as the beginnings of self-archiving for dancers. He presents instructions for what
and how to keep things, and how materials should be handled. This indispensable
little volume is imbued with his sense of humour and makes approachable the im-
portant task of archiving from the ground up. (Ed. Note: the booklet may be avail-
able at a library. Archiving workshops are now livestreamed by the DCD. See:
https://dcd.ca/archives.html).
You may have thought that composers and dance artists would have completely
different priorities: one is visual and the other deals with sound. Both, however,
use notation or a set of instructions and need a performance by those interpreting
these abstract, representative symbols in order to come to life.
If one were to exclude the costumes, choreographic notes, and make-up for dance,
the description of the stuff which both dance artists and composers generate, listed
on page 10 of his book, virtually reads the same for both art forms. I would venture
22eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
further and add that his list could be slightly retrofitted to suit any other artistic
pursuit such as writers, visual artists, and thespians without any loss of meaning or
relevance. This isn’t to say that an archivist’s role is lessened. No. The onus is ra-
ther given to the artist to evaluate their legacy for themselves, preserve their work
as a part of the continuum of Canadian Art. And this is a large step away from the
still pervading mentality of simply hoping that at the end of one’s artistic life that a
large compendium of boxes of one’s music – or other artistic endeavours — can
simply be piled up and shipped to the LAC with the idea that ‘the archivists will
deal with it there.’
Below is an example of a passionate music archivist from the University of Mon-
treal writing a note to the researcher. Possibly the person did not read French and
so the note accompanying “Marche Funèbre” by Adèle Bourgeois Lacerte indicates,
“We found 83 pieces written between 1915 and 1933. In her correspondence with
her editor we learn that she had to fight with her editor so that her professional
activity as a composer should be rewarded and recognized.” I am tempted to ask,
has anything changed for women composers? In any case, I’m sure there’s a good
story there.
Where can the legacy of Canadian music be found? Is it all at the LAC? Perhaps
not. Is it at the CMC? Some of it is and, then again, much of it is not. It could be in
any University library, such as the photo which shows an archivist/librarian giving
assistance to a researcher. Once the Canadian Musical Heritage Society suffered
funding cuts, its publi-
cations became availa-
ble from a basement in
Ottawa to those who
just happen to know it’s
there. I’m assuming one
can find a copy at the
LAC. If you’re a per-
former and you wish to
perform the music of
the past, it requires a
dedicated effort to find
what you’re looking for.
Not everything written
by even well-known Ca-
nadian composers who
have not so recently
Photo by E. Miller
23eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
passed away can be assumed to be in a library or archive. Some, if you know where
to look, resides elsewhere. The music could also be lost. There is still much work to
be done.
What began as an adventure and sincere effort to preserve the history of Canadian
women composers of the last 125 years or so has not changed course much. The
sense of panic is gone, replaced by an attitude of pragmatic, possibly sardonic ob-
jectivity where I no longer eagerly allow the mindless accumulation of musical
ephemera to pile up simply because it’s by women composers.
The ACWC/ACC archive will continue to be protected, sorted, and maintained with
the hope that it should be made available to the public and housed in a more ap-
propriate place. I am trying to raise the consciousness of those in my organization
towards preserving their own music and recorded materials, and considering add-
ing more value to membership by offering discounts on archival items such as
boxes or envelopes for photos and CDs. By writing articles, forming partnerships
with like-minded individuals and organizations, and changing people’s perceptions
towards their own output, I believe I may have started a trend. Hopefully, it will
have a beneficial effect and impact on what gets kept and received by any archive.
If I could make but one suggestion to any archivist, consider helping your neigh-
bourhood artist to get organized. In turn, artists should get to know their local ar-
chives. Start a legacy immediately, preferably when the material is fresh (and in
mint condition). Do not leave things to the last minute or when the job becomes
too big to handle. A fertile creative imagination should not assume that there’ll be
a truck labeled “archives” to haul away one’s deathless prose, art, music, and arti-
facts to a reverent line of white gloved archivists patiently waiting to catalogue all
the stuff. Buying a pair of white archival gloves is a good start.
Elma Miller is a composer, and past Chair/President Archivist for ACWC/ACC.
Where are the ACWC/ACC Archives now? In December 2011, Emilie LeBel re-
ported that Elma was preparing to relocate the archives to the Paul D. Fleck Li-
brary and Archives at The Banff Centre. This relocation makes the archives avail-
able for public use, and stores the records with professional archivists. The Ar-
chives actively acquire private organizations’ or individual records that reflect the
life of the Centre and Canadian culture. Read more about the archives here. Due
to COVID-19, the library/archives are closed to in-person and email inquiries, but
some of the ACWC collection is available for searching here: Alberta on Record.
24eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
Anniversary
Pioneering Compositrices of Canada
Elaine Keillor C.M.
For thousands of years women have been creating and performing musical
compositions in this geographical space now known as Canada. Although
Indigenous women continue this practice around us today, unfortunately we do
not have oral historical accounts that concretely identify who and when these
composers were active prior to the founding of ACWC. Consequently, the following
brief overview has to begin with information gleaned from settlers’ records.
Mère Marie-Andrée Regnard Duplessis de Sainte-Hélène (1687-1750), an Ursuline
nun, arrived at Quebec City in 1702. She commenced to write about activities from
1639 to 1716. In 1718, she herself wrote Musique spirituelle où l’on peut s’exercer
sans voix, “the first treatise on the theory and practise of music to have been
undertaken in North America” (Schwandt 1988, 51). After explaining basic musical
theory, she speaks about the Superior who conducts all the music. “She sets the
tempo. She calls for transpositions, provides accompaniments, furnishes the
symphonies and beats time. Provided that one is careful to follow her directions
and to respond to the slightest cue, the concert will be so harmonious that it will
charm every observer” (ibid. 52-3). A large number of motets used by the
Ursulines have been studied by Schwandt. He has identified many that do not exist
in collections to be found in France. As a
result, he has surmised that these anonymous
compositions were likely composed by the
Ursulines (Schwandt 1981).
Because it was commonly believed that women
could not be composers in European
countries, it is not surprising to find the same
attitude transferred to Canada. The first
published composition to be known to be
written by a woman appeared in Quebec, 1841,
as The Canada Union Waltz by a Canadian
Lady. The composer was possibly Josephte
Desbarats Sheppard who subsequently had
several works published in New York
(Lefebvre 1991, 30). No identification has been
determined yet for Simple thoughts: A Ballad,
music, by a Lady of Toronto; words, by F.
25eJournal ACWC/ACC Spring 2021
Wright, Esq. Spencerville that appeared in The Anglo-American Magazine, vol.
III, no. 3, (Sept. 1853). Neither has any biographical information been found for
Hattie Stephens. Her song, Ma Belle Canadienne, “dedicated to the Ladies of
Canada” was published around 1870. Mrs. G. A. Gilbert used the words of her
husband for her art song, Come to the Vale of the Beautiful Don: An Invocation,
published ca. 1879, but again no further information about her has been located.
In 1886, the Ontario Music Teachers’ Association organized a composition
competition. Works were to be submitted under noms de plume. There was one
woman among the four successful composers (Keillor 2006, 385). Her name was
Frances Hatton-Moore (?, England - ?, London, ON?). She was the daughter of the
English musician, John Liptrot Hatton, and came to Canada in 1869 to be a voice
instructor at the Hellmuth Ladies College in London. She married the well-known
physician, Charles G. Moore. Some of her compositions were published in the
Ladies Home Journal.
Gradually during the latter half of the 19th century women composers were able to
put their own names on compositions, but some still used a pseudonym or just
initials like Anne Catherine Roberta Geddes-Harvey [A.C.R.G.] (1879, Hamilton –
1930, Guelph). As well as art songs, she composed the oratorio, Salvator, and
graduated with a B.Mus. degree from Trinity University, Toronto, in 1899.
Susie Frances Harrison (1859, Toronto – 1935, Toronto)
frequently used pseudonyms such as Seranus, Gilbert King,
among others, both for her compositions and her writings.
Of late, her importance as a writer has become recognized by
being added as a secondary figure to the pantheon of
Confederation poets. It seems that her major compositions
have not survived. While living in Ottawa, she wrote the text
and music to welcome the new Governor-General in 1883.
The libretto of Pipandor: A comic opera in three acts, with
Susie Frances Harrison text by F.A. Dixon was published in 1884, but not the music.
However, we do have a number of her piano pieces and
vocal works, as well as her String Quartet on Ancient Irish Airs. Probably dating
from the early 1900s, when she was teaching at the Toronto Conservatory of
Music, the quartet is the earliest known composition to be written by a Canadian
woman for this combination. On 17 April 1902, a full concert of her original
compositions took place at the Toronto Conservatory’s Music Hall. Included on
the program, a first for a Canadian woman composer, were piano pieces, songs for
which some had violin obligato, arrangements of French-Canadian songs,
selections from Pipandor, hymns, and sacred vocal quartets. She frequently wrote
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