French violinist Esther Abrami is shining a spotlight on female composers with her new album, Women, celebrating the often-overlooked contributions of women to classical music. Featuring works by 14 composers, the album spans centuries, from the Middle Ages to today. Among the names are Oscar-winning composers Rachel Portman and Anne Dudley, as well as historical figures like Ethel Smyth and Pauline Viardot. Scheduled for release on Friday, Women is Abrami’s third album and reflects her deep commitment to changing the narrative around classical music composition.
Abrami, a graduate of London’s Royal College of Music, shared that during her 15 years of musical education, she never once performed a piece written by a woman. She hopes her project will help alter this dynamic. Noting that most people can easily name a male classical composer but often struggle to name a female one, Abrami’s goal is to raise awareness and inspire change.
The album includes powerful selections such as March of the Women by Ethel Smyth, which features the voice of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, and Wiegala by Ilse Weber, a Jewish poet who composed lullabies for children during her internment at the Theresienstadt camp in World War II. Although Weber perished at Auschwitz, her music survived, hidden and later retrieved by her husband after the war.
In selecting pieces for Women, Abrami chose music that personally moved her. She hopes the stories and achievements of these women will inspire young girls to explore composition themselves. Adding a modern twist, the album also features an arrangement of Miley Cyrus’ hit Flowers and an original composition by Abrami titled Transmission, inspired by her grandmother, who was also a violinist.
Esther Abrami has built a devoted following on social media and has used her platform to advocate for female voices in classical music. Through her podcast Women in Classical, she interviews various figures from the music world, sharing their stories and perspectives.
She believes it is refreshing to hear classical music from different voices and backgrounds. Even as a trained classical musician, she finds it thrilling to uncover a part of musical history that has long been neglected. For Abrami, this journey is not only about reviving forgotten works but also about creating a more inclusive and inspiring future for classical music.
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