Talks and Papers

Conference and Study Day Papers

‘ “A temple of glorious music making”: The late Victorian and Edwardian musical salon’ keynote presentation at Thirteenth Biennial Conference on Music in 19th-Century Britain Conference (Open University - 28-30 June, 2023)

‘Trinity Laban’s Research Lab and the “Identity, Creativity and Performance” mentored group’ for the panel ‘Decolonising a Colonialist Musical Institution in Brexit Britain: Views from Trinity Laban Conservatoire, London’ (with Michelle Meinhart, Uchenna Ngwe, Aleksander Szram and Ann van Allen-Russell) at North American British Music Studies Association symposium (online, 9-11 August, 2021)

‘Songs and the late Victorian and Edwardian salon: the case of Maude Valérie White (1855-1937)’ Oxford Lieder Festival (Oxford University, 9 March, 2018)

‘Grace, Betty, Maude and Me: Who Do We Think We Are?’ keynote presentation at First International Conference on Women’s Work in Music (University of Bangor, 4-7 September, 2017)

‘Mistresses of Song: Women and the Victorian Mass Music Market’ Consuming (the) Victorians, British Association of Victorian Studies annual conference (Cardiff University, 31 August-2 September 2016)

‘Lexicography after Pandora: Writing Women into the Histories of Western Classical Music’ Lexikographie, Gender und Musikgeschichtsschreibung (Lexicography, Gender and the Writing of Music History) (Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg, 26-29 May 2016 )

‘Women musicians and professionalism in the late 19th century’ The Music Profession in Britain 1780-1920: New Perspectives on Status and Identity (The Open University in London, Camden, 14 September 2015)

‘The Maconchy-Williams Correspondence, 1927-1977’ “Passionately intellectual, intellectually passionate”: Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994) (Zentrum für Genderforschung / Institut 14 – Musikästhetik, Graz, Austria, 24-25 October 2014)

‘ “Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside”: Music and musicians on the East Sussex coast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries’ Ninth Biennial Conference on Music in Nineteenth-Century Britain (Cardiff University, 24-27 June 2013)

‘ “Something revolting”: Women, creativity and music after 50’ keynote paper for Gender, Musical Creativity and Age (University of Huddersfield, 6-7 October 2012)

‘ “Lady-composers of operas” at the turn of the 20th century’ ‘O vision entrancing’: A study day exploring aspects of British opera history (CHOMBEC - University of Bristol, 12 June 2010)

‘ “If I could have stood in the sunlight…”: Ethel Smyth in context’ keynote paper for Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) and her generation (Faculty of Music, Oxford University, 29 November, 2008) 

‘ “Good-time Edwardian ghosts”? The legacy of the private musical world’ Cultivating Britons (Oxford Brookes, 19 September 2008)

‘Concert-hall and drawing-room divas’ Staging the Feminine: The Arts of the Prima Donna, 1760-1920 (Leeds University, 14-17 July 2006)

‘ “Putting the BBC and T. Beecham to shame”: The Macnaghten-Lemare concerts 1931-1937’ Fourth Biennial Conference on Twentieth-Century Music (University of Sussex, 25-28 August 2005)

‘Elizabeth Maconchy and the position of women composers in 20th-century Britain’ invited paper for IAML Annual Study Weekend (University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, 1 April 2005)

‘ “A Mount Everest in music”? Ethel Smyth and the other women composers’ Symposium of the International Musicological Society (Melbourne, 11-16 July 2004)

‘Women Making Music in Victorian Fiction’ 68th Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society (Columbus, Ohio: 31 October-3 November 2002)

‘A queerable history? Women musicians in fin-de-siècle Britain’ invited paper to the Gay and Lesbian Study Group of the American Musicological Society at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society, Atlanta, GA (November 2001).

‘Greatness and canonicity: Women composers in 20th-century Britain’ for session ‘Local Histories, Global Contexts: Writing the History of 20th-Century Music’ at Toronto 2000: Musical Intersections (Toronto, 1-5 November 2000)

‘Representations of British Women Composers in the 1920s, 30s and 40s’ ‘Music as a Bridge - Musical Relationships between Britain and Germany, 1920-1950’ (Freie Universität Berlin, 13-16 July 2000)

‘Creative women and ‘exoticism’ at the last fin-de-siècle’ International Symposium: From Musical Exoticism to World Music: Constructing Ends of Centuries (City University, London, 6-8 July 2000)

‘ “This profitable career…”: Professional female orchestral musicians at the turn of the last century’ Aspects of the British Musical Renaissance VII (University of Birmingham, 10 June 2000)

‘ “Cribbed, cabin’d, and confined”?: The representation of women composers in British fiction’ 3rd Triennial British Musicological Societies’ Conference 1999 (University of Surrey, 15-18 July, 1999)

‘Women and Orchestras in the late 19th Century’ Music in 19th-century Britain Conference (University of Durham, 8-11 July 1999)

‘ “A bona fide professional”?: Women composers and professionalism in the later 19th century’ Music in 19th-century Britain Conference (University of Hull: 10-12 July, 1997)

‘Telling it like it was?’ Feminist Theory and Music 4 (University of Virginia, Charlottesville: 5-8 June, 1997)

‘ “That foremost of English songwriters”: Maude Valérie White and the English Musical Renaissance’ 62nd Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society (Baltimore, USA: 7-10 November, 1996). Also read at Poetry, Politics and Song: ‘English’ vocal music from 1850 to the present (University of Wales, Cardiff: 15 March, 1997)

‘British Women Composers in the 1990s’ Donne in Musica 1o Symposium e Festival Internazionale (Fiuggi, Italy: 17-21 September, 1996)

‘Voices’ Keynote address at Gender & Music Study Day (York University: 11 May, 1996)

‘ ‘I have too much music & have really nothing else...’: Reconstructing the worlds of Adela Maddison (1866-1929)’ British Musicology Conference (King’s College, London: 18-21 April, 1996)

‘ “Swimming against the stream”: Why aren’t women composers being heard?’ UNESCO symposium on ‘Women and Musical Creativity’ (Paris: 7-8 March, 1996)

‘Women as Composers’ Study day on Women and the Arts (University of Southampton: 8 March, 1992)

‘Ethel’s Forgotten Sisters’ Music and Gender Conference (King's College, London: 7 July, 1991)

‘Women in Music: Britain’ Seventh International Congress on Women in Music (Utrecht: 29 May-2 June, 1991).

‘ “Absent Yet Present” or Who was Maude Valérie White anyway?’) 24th Royal Music Association Annual Music Research Student's Conference (Oxford: December, 1990).

‘ “A number of very gifted young women”: The Macnaghten-Lemare Concerts in the 1930s’ Women and Music: A Study Day (University of London, Centre for Extra-Mural Studies: December 10, 1988)

Talks and Seminars

‘Women and the Orchestra’ talk at ‘Breaking Barriers: Celebrating 100 years of votes for women’ 2-4 February 2018 (Blackheath Halls: 2 February, 2018)

Talk on Rebecca Clarke (featured composer) at the Pinner Musical Festival, 6 June, 2016.

Pre-performance speaker on ‘Gender in Opera’ for Secret Opera performances at the Brighton Fringe of CarMen and The Trousered Traviata (5 and 6 May, 2015)

‘From Smyth to Britten – Queer Musicians at Charleston’ Charleston, 22 September 2013

‘ “Old, wise and furiously heretical”: Women and music after 50’ Research Seminar (Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, 13 March,  2013 and York University, 28 November  2012)

‘Musicians’ Letters’ Research Training Day School on ‘Music and Social Meanings’ (Institute of Musical Research, London 25 October, 2010)

‘Symphonies, string quartets and spring cleaning: the lives, work and letters of Elizabeth Maconchy and Grace Williams, 1927-1977’ Research Forum (University of Huddersfield, 5 October, 2010)

 ‘Queer Studies – There’s no need to think straight!’ workshops at Various Voices Festival (South Bank Centre, London (1-4 May, 2009)

‘Gender Studies and Queer Musicology’ MMus ‘New Musicology’ course (Goldsmiths, London University, 29 January, 2009)

“The Maconchy-Williams Correspondence, 1927-1977” Directions in Musical Research seminar (Institute of Musical Research, London 28 February, 2008)

‘Gender Studies and Queer Musicology’ MMus ‘New Musicology’ course (Goldsmiths, London University, 31 January, 2008)

Panel discussion (with Byron Adams, Leon Botstein and Richard Dellamora) ‘Constructions of Masculinity from Dorian Gray to Father Brown’ Bard Music Festival: Elgar and his World (Bard College, Annandale-on Hudson, NY, USA 19 August 2007)

Pre-concert talk ‘Elgar and the Salon’ Bard Music Festival: Elgar and his World (Bard College, Annandale-on Hudson, NY, USA 17 August 2007)

Final Plenary Panel: ‘The Future of the Proms’ (with Jenny Doctor, Alain Frogley, Paul Kildea, Roger Parker and Daniel Leech-Wilkinson) The Proms and British Musical Life conference (British Library, London, 23-5 April 2007)

Pre-concert conversation with Anthony Burton, Jeremy Dale Roberts and Nicola LeFanu (‘Concert for Elizabeth’ Purcell Room, London 1 March 2007)

‘Gender Studies and Queer Musicology’ MMus ‘New Musicology’ course (Goldsmiths, London University, 25 January, 2007)

“Women and Music Rooms in late 19th- and early 20th-century Britain” The Music Room: Workshops on Music and the Domestic Interior (V&A Museum 4 December 2006)

‘Gender Studies and Queer Musicology’ MMus ‘New Musicology’ course (Goldsmiths, London University, 26 January, 2006)

‘‘Even geese are quite interesting birds’: The Macnaghten-Lemare concerts 1931-1937’ Research Seminar (York University, 30 November 2005)

‘Gender Studies and Queer Musicology’ MMus ‘New Musicology’ course (Goldsmiths, London University, 27 January, 2005)

‘Women songwriters in late 19th-century Britain’ Study Day on Professional Identity and the Female Musician in the 18th & 19th centuries (Southampton University, 21 February 2004)

‘Women Creating Music in Victorian Fiction’ (Centre for British Music: Durham University, 18 February 2004)

‘Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Music Criticism’ MMus ‘New Musicology’ course (Goldsmiths, London University, 29 January, 2004)

‘Women Composing in Books’ Postgraduate Seminar (Edinburgh University, 5 December 2003)

‘Women Creating Music in British Fiction’ Open Seminar (Reading University, 3 February 2003)

‘Female Creativity in Literature (and elsewhere)’ Postgraduate Seminar (Bristol University, 11 December 2001)

‘Women as Performers in Britain’ Research Seminar (London College of Music and Media at Thames Valley University, 4 May 1999)

‘Gender and Music’ Research Seminar (Goldsmiths College, London University, 28 January 1999)

‘Women performers in 19th-century Britain’ Research Seminar (Birmingham Conservatoire, 19 January 1999)

‘Gender and Genre: The Song’ Research Seminar (Southampton University, 1 December 1998)

‘Music, Gender and the “New Musicology”’ Seminar for MA in Music and Culture in Contemporary Society (Bath Spa University: 24 November, 1998)

Panellist and workshop leader for ‘Pedagogy to Practical Solutions: Putting paradigms into practice’ session. From Pedagogy to Professionalism: The Making of the Music Graduate (LUMEN/PIP Conference) (Leeds University: July 6-7, 1998)

‘Researching Women in Music’ Seminar for BA Music students (Bath Spa University: 17 March, 1998)

‘“Unsuspected Power?” The Work of Liza Lehmann’ Research Seminar (University of Huddersfield: 23 February, 1998)

‘Gender and the “New Musicology”’ Seminar for MA in Music and Culture in Contemporary Society (Bath Spa University: 13 January, 1998)

‘Incorporating women musicians and women's music into mainstream university teaching’ Presentation and round table discussion at Music, Gender and Education Conference (Bath College of Higher Education: 4-6 July, 1997)

‘Women and Gender in the Curriculum’ Research Seminar (Faculty of Education and Community Studies (Music), University of Reading: 3 March, 1997)

Speaker at British Musical Renaissance Study Day (University of Birmingham: 1 March, 1997)

‘ “... a thing incomprehensible?”: the British woman composer at the end of the nineteenth century’ Research Seminar (University of Surrey: 4 February, 1997)

‘ “...the dawning of the new day...?”: Women and the English Musical Renaissance’ Research Seminar (University of Durham: 15 January, 1997)

‘Exploding the Canon’ Open University Summer School Guest Lecture (Cardiff: 6 August, 1996)

Pre-concert talk with Diana Ambache Chard Festival of Women in Music (Chard: 21-7 May, 1996)

Keynote speaker at Fourth Annual Cambridge Graduate and Senior Women’s Dinner (Newnham College, Cambridge: 8 March 1995)

‘Women in Music’ ‘Gender Perspectives in the Arts’ course at Middlesex University (18 January, 1995)

‘Women in Music’ ‘Gender Perspectives in the Arts’ course at Middlesex University (12 January, 1994)

‘Women Composers at the Turn of the Century’ City Lit Study Day ‘Older Women and Music’ (23 October, 1993)

‘19th-Century Women Composers’ Redlands Lecture (Reading University: 22 October, 1993)

Pre-concert talk with Elena Firsova Lontano concert (ICA: 7 April, 1993)

‘The Diva’ Performance Arts BA (Middlesex Polytechnic: 26 October, 1992)

‘Women and Music: Maude Valérie White, Madonna, Fanny Mendelssohn (and others...)’ WEA Course for Chard Festival of Women in Music (May 1992)

‘Forgotten Songs: Late Victorian and Edwardian Women Composers’ Performance Arts MA (Middlesex Polytechnic: 28 November, 1991)

‘British Women Composers’ Fawcett Society (University Women's Club: April, 1991).

‘ “Absent yet Present”: Late Victorian and Edwardian Women Composers’ London University Music Diploma Society (Birkbeck College: March, 1991).

‘Women and Music in the Sixteenth Century’ Open University (broadcast July 1990)

‘An Appreciation of Women Composers’ WEA Course for Chard Festival of Women in Music (May 1990)