NVYO March 8th concert: Meet Amy Beach!

Amy Beach was the first woman to have a symphony performed by a major US orchestra. A successful piano performance and touring career was put to a stop when she married at 18 to a prominent surgeon who expected her to stay at home, and told her to refrain from performing or teaching. He encouraged her to compose, but expected that she do so without seeking any further formal training. Restrictions like these were unfortunately very typical for middle- and upper-class women of the time. Amy had remarkable success as a composer of symphonies, chamber music, and a well-received mass. After her husband's death, she resumed several decades of performing, composing, and teaching, and founded the Society of American Women Composers.