Watch: CCM alum Kathleen Shimeta discusses composer Gena Branscombe and promoting equity in music

In the third installment of CCM Speaks, UC College-Conservatory of Music alum Kathleen Shimeta (MM '79) presents "Bringing Back Branscombe: A Woman Composer Lost – Now Found."

A musician, music researcher and writer, Shimeta has enjoyed a singing career performing art songs, chamber music, oratorio and opera. As a strong advocate for contemporary American composers, she has premiered works written for her by late 20th and 21st-century composers. For over 20 years, Shimeta has championed the music of Canadian-American composer Gena Branscombe through a variety of projects that have been celebrated and shared in performance and historic venues across the country. Shimeta received her Bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn., and her Master of Music degree from CCM.

Watch her lecture below.

Lecture summary: This is the story of how the search for one art song — a setting of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem composed by a Canadian-American woman named Gena Branscombe — would change Kathleen Shimeta's career.

From that one art song a new and unexpected journey began. It included many interesting adventures such as a CD of Gena Branscombe songs; co-authoring and performing a one-woman show about her life and music; presenting Branscombe-themed lecture recitals and concerts; sharing her work through radio and podcast interviews; and ultimately co-founding The Gena Branscombe Project, a non-profit that honors the composer’s legacy and promotes equity in music by uplifting voices of all music professionals in the U.S. and beyond.

Shimeta took a chance by reintroducing Branscombe to the classical music world and championing a woman composer who was famous in her day but then forgotten. Bringing back Branscombe became Shimeta's mission and passion and she hopes to inspire others to rediscover, support and champion women composers, thus broadening our understanding of music history.

The second installment of CCM Speaks, featuring CCM alum Evan Gidley discussing creating connections through participatory art, is also available for on-demand viewing.

Featured image at top: Pan's Fountain in CCM's Alumni Gardens. Photo/UC Marketing + Brand