Organized by Patricia García Gil, Postdoctoral Associate and Artist in Residence
at the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards (CCHK), and supported by
director of CCHK Roger Moseley, the symposium commemorates the 150th
anniversary of visionary 19th-century composer, pianist, and pedagogue Louise
Farrenc.
The program features performances of Farrenc’s chamber music on historical
instruments from CCHK, presented by students and faculty from Cornell and
Eastman; a reimagining of the salon culture she fostered; and a collaboration
with the Johnson Museum of Art, which situates her works within the visual
culture of 19th-century Paris. Scholarly presentations by Roger Moseley, Laurent
Ferri, and PhD students from Cornell and the University of Rochester will further
examine her contributions to pedagogy, performance, and gender equality. The
symposium also welcomes renowned guest artists, including Cynthia Roberts,
one of today’s leading baroque violinists, who will both perform and coach
student ensembles.
Interdisciplinary in scope and interinstitutional in practice, the symposium
unites music performance, scholarship, gender studies, and visual culture while
fostering collaboration between Cornell, the Eastman School of Music, and
Syracuse University. Bringing together musicians, scholars, and the public, it
affirms Farrenc’s place in history while linking her fight for recognition to
ongoing debates about gender, labor, and representation in music today.
