Composer of the Month: Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824)

by Liane Curtis | Nov 3, 2022

By Elizabeth de Brito Maria Theresia von Paradis (The Blind Enchantress, as she was sometimes known) captivated Europe with her prodigious music talents. She concertized widely, composed wonderful music, and became a powerful inspiration, both in classical music and...

Hidden Herstory: Mozart and his female contemporaries

by Liane Curtis | Jul 22, 2022

The music of the traditional male canon is well documented; however the roles of the female composers who had roles in the musical lives of those men has been marginalized — this is the historic process of patriarchy.  For our new Hidden Herstory series we are...

“Figaro Gets a Divorce” — new opera a triumph in Wales!

by Liane Curtis | Apr 6, 2016

Composer Elena Langer has achieved a brilliant success as she “completes” the Figaro “trilogy” for Welsh National Opera.  Complementing Mozart’s “Marriage” and Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville,”...

Maria Theresia von Paradis

by sarah | Mar 27, 2011

Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824) was an Austrian composer, famous for her blindness and her friendship with Mozart. She was the daughter of Joseph Anton Paradis, the Imperial Secretary of Commerce and Court Councilor to the Empress Maria Theresa, after whom this...

Marianna von Martinez

by sarah | Mar 4, 2011

Marianne von Martinez (1744-1812) was born in Vienna, though her family heritage was Spanish. She displayed her talent at a very early age and was a student of a young Haydn, who was a very close  neighbor. Later, she also studied with Johann Aldoph Hasse, and...