Women’s touch

After performing Études by Hélène de Montgeroult and Louise Farrenc, who both taught piano at the Paris Conservatoire, Élisabeth Pion will highlight the work of Cécile Chaminade, Lili Boulanger – the first woman to win the Prix de Rome for musical composition in 1913 – and Mel Bonis. This repertoire sheds light on the important role played by women in teaching their contemporaries virtuoso techniques. It also reveals these composers’ high artistic aspirations, which were often limited to the keyboard due to the difficulty of having their orchestral works performed.