Exciting news! The Hemenway Ensemble has been selected as semi-finalists for The American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music in the Professional Chamber Ensemble Division.

5 semifinalists were chosen and we have 2 of those spots for both Vocal Chamber Music and Instrumental Chamber Music.
This selection is based on our CD ' To Paradise for Onions' of the music of Edith Hemenway.
Claron McFadden, soprano
Roberta Alexander, soprano
Nancy Braithwaite, clarinet
Michael Stirling, cello
Vaughan Schlepp, piano

Hemenway Ensemble (Instrumental Chamber Music ) The Netherlands Questions of Travel; Asian Figures

Hemenway Ensemble (Vocal Chamber Music)The NetherlandsFour Poems of Langston Hughes; A Child's Garden

Thanks to all of you for helping make this possible with your donations!

Dear supporters of the Edith Hemenway Project,

This is to let you know that Edith Hemenway has reached the finals for the American Prize in 2 categories for composition; Vocal Chamber Music and Instrumental Chamber Music. It was possible for her to submit her work in this competition because through this project she had both a professional recording and digital scores available.

Thank you all again for your support! Edith Hemenway is of course thrilled with this recognition!

Here is information about the competition taken from their website:
https://www.theamericanprize.org/
The American Prize

National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the classical arts.
The American Prize is nonprofit, unique in scope and structure, and is designed to evaluate, recognize and reward the best performers, ensembles, composers and administrators in the United States, based on submitted recordings.
There is no live competition.
The American Prize has attracted thousands of qualified contestants from all fifty states since its founding, has awarded nearly $100,000 in prizes in all categories since 2010, and is presented annually in many areas of the performing arts.

All the best,
Nancy Braithwaite

Claron McFadden, Roberta Alexander, Nancy Braithwaite, Michael Stirling, Vaughan Schlepp: To Paradise With Onions: Songs And Chamber Works Of Edith Hemenway
By HRAYR ATTARIAN September 10, 2019

Edith Hemenway wrote some of the most sublimely impressionistic music of the 20th century. Yet, outside of a small circle of aficionados and admirers, she remains virtually unknown. Unfortunately, despite her long career, To Paradise with Onions is the first time her work has been released on disc. Produced by longtime collaborator, clarinetist Nancy Brathwaite, this exquisite album consists of six of Hemenway's literature-inspired suites. Based on Poet Laureate W. S Merwin's prose from 1979, "Asian Figures," for instance, is a series of brief clarinet and piano duets. Accompanying Brathwaite is pianist Vaughan Schlepp; their stimulating and tense exchanges give the piece a vibrant and captivating immediacy. From the whimsical "I Eat the Cucumber My Way"—with its dramatic atmosphere marked by Schlepp's percussive piano and Brathwaite's sinewy clarinet—to the melancholic and hypnotic "Autumn Rides Down On One Leaf," the two musicians paint abstract sonic images that provoke and move. Angular and crystalline phrases create the futuristic ambience of "Thread Has to Go Where the Needle Went" which delightfully contrasts with the cinematic lyricism of the wistful "Ferns Bend Into The Water/Over There." Schlepp joins sopranos Roberta Alexander and Claron McFadden for a haunting rendition of "Four Poems of Langston Hughes," one of Hemenway's masterpieces. Alexander and McFadden's overlapping voices float over Schlepp's expressive pianism with elegance and grace. The performance is in keeping with the soulfulness of Hughes' verse. For example, Schlepp creates a blues-tinged harmonic tapestry on "Down and Out" while the vocalists' song shimmers with a hymn-like spirituality. The seven-movement "Questions of Travel," after an Elizabeth Bishop poem, is an intriguing and multilayered composition that Brathwaite, Schlepp and cellist Michael Stirling interpret with almost mystical nuance and introspection. The sombre "Journey of Ancients" features the stately growl of the clarinet over resonant and reverberating piano notes and darkly-hued cello drones, while the serene "Siesta" is lullaby-like as it starts with softly undulating clarinet and cello lines. Schlepp contributes resonant notes that echo the preceding melody with tenderness and emotion. This splendid and singular CD is a welcome introduction to Hemenway's unjustly underappreciated oeuvre. Being performed by artists who truly connect with and thoroughly absorb the composer's creative vision makes To Paradise with Onions that much more special. Hopefully, more of Hemenway's brilliant output will be recorded in the near future.

Personnel: Claron McFadden: voice (soprano); Roberta Alexander: voice (soprano); Nancy Braithwaite: clarinet; Michael Stirling: cello; Vaughan Schlepp: piano.

Title: To Paradise with Onions: Songs and Chamber Works of Edith Hemenway | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: EtceteraNOW

Edith Hemenway
To Paradise for Onions
Claron McFadden; Roberta Alexander, et al.
Etcetera (dist. Quintessence)
KTC 1632

These six sets of songs and instrumental chamber works by American composer Edith Hemenway (arranged for varying combinations of voice, clarinet, cello, and piano) are all presented here in world-premiere recordings. Hemenway began her musical career as an organist, but soon discovered that she had a particular talent for composing art song; she later went on to write several children’s operas as well. The songs on this program are performed by sopranos Claron McFadden and Roberta Alexander, who are excellent, but what really grabbed me were the pieces written for clarinetist Nancy Braithwaite–who is also the performer on these recordings, alongside cellist Michael Stirling and pianist Vaughan Schlepp. Hemenway’s writing navigates beautifully that narrow space between bracing modernism and aching lyricism–Asian Figures has a particularly vinegary loveliness–and the performances on this disc are outstanding. For all classical collections.

I'm thrilled to share yet another good review with you!
We are beginning to think about a CD release tour to the USA with our ensemble. The response from the reviews has been so overwhelmingly encouraging and we would like to share Edith Hemenway's music with audiences there.

A tumblelog by C. Michael Bailey(About) One Hundred Words On…To Paradise from Onions - Songs and Chamber Works of Edith HemenwayTo Paradise from Onions - Songs and Chamber Works of Edith Hemenway

Claron McFadden, Roberta Alexander, Nancy Braithwaite, Michael Stirling, Vaughan Schlepp

Etcetera Records, 2019

It’s not all about Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. There are many composers and many works composed deserving of attention. Item: Edith Hemenway is an American composer who made friends and composed music for clarinetist Nancy Braithwaite. Brathwaite made it her mission to record this music and the result is To Paradise for Onions: Songs and Chamber Works of Edith Hemenway. Hemenway’s music is art music that stands side-by-side with Charles Ives, Edward McDowall, and Walter Piston. This recital tests the miscibility of the human voice with instrumental music. Braithwaite is impressive throughout; her labor of love fully realized and presented.

23 August 2019 Tumblr theme by Theme Anorak

McFADDEN ALEXANDER BRAITHWAITE STIRLING AND SCHLEPP – TO PARADISE FOR ONIONS(CLASSICAL):Melodically captivating, and endlessly vivid, To Paradise for Onions: Songs and Chamber Works of Edith Hemenway is something you didn’t know you needed in your life, but you’ll be glad you found it. The album, which is the first to feature Edith Hemenway’s work, is delightful in its scope. Sopranos Claron McFadden and Roberta Alexander combine with clarinetist Nancy Braithwaite, cellist Michael Stirling and pianist Vaughan Schepp to breathe life into Hemenway’s vision. “Doors (Three Poems by W.S. Merwin)” opens the door to a world that classical fans – whether casual or hard-core connoisseur – will happily step through.

Our Hemenway CD came out in North America on August 9th. We have already had some very positive reviews! I'd like to share this one with all of you. Thank you again for supporting this worthwhile project!

Warm wishes,
Nancy Braithwaite

Doors: Three Poems by W.S. Merwin for soprano, clarinet, cello and piano; Questions of Travel: for clarinet, cello and piano; To Paradise for Onions: for clarinet and piano; A Child’s Garden: for soprano, clarinet and piano; Asian Figures: for clarinet and piano based on texts by W.S. Merwin; Four Poems of Langston Hughes duets for two sopranos and piano

Claron McFadden: sop; Roberta Alexander: sop; Nancy Braithwaite: cl; Michael Stirling: vc; Vaughan Schlepp: pf

Are there valid connections between music and words? Is the technical language of poetry that different from the technical language of music? Edith Hemenway answers both questions quite exquisitely in her work, performed here by Nancy Braithwaite in various configurations from duets with sopranos, or piano; or in trio settings and quartet settings. And as this gorgeous music unfolds we are reminded that music as expressed by Edith Hemenway has a language all its own, just as Beethoven, Bach and the rest have in music lived and worked a temporal and spiritual beings; exactly as Shakespeare and Dante – or in this case – as have W.S. Merwin, Robert Louis Stevenson, Elizabeth Bishop and Langston Hughes. And Ms Hemenway brings it all together on the page, but Miss Braithwaite and the rest deliver a performance that makes the black dots literally leap off the very page on which it was written.

To be correct, I suppose, this is a chamber work necessarily played in ensemble, though with a few solo flights. But Miss Braithwaite “hides in plain sight” more out of an abundance of modesty. For she is the ring-leader of this ensemble; doing all of the heavy-lifting to bring this music to fruition. Indeed, as we now know, Edith Hemenway has written most – if not all of this work – for Miss Braithwaite’s clarinet and, of course, other instruments, not the least being the human voice; but principally for Miss Braithwaite whom she trusted would make it all come alive. The clarinetist has returned the favour exponentially, for in Miss Braithwaite, in fact, is music qua music to be appreciated at its most uncompromising. Moreover, the words of the poets – either brilliantly sung by the sopranos Claron McFadden and Roberta Alexander – or played as musical exegesis of the poets’ works – gain, to my mind, greater significance, Ms Hemenway’s themes (that is) being applied to “literature”.

Miss Braithwaite has mastered the diabolically difficult clarinet in a manner that few can claim to have. Hers is a genius for unlocking the mystique of both the arts of the word and music to make us feel the glinting lights, mysterious depths, expectations, frustrations, hopes, doubts and joys of the human experience. In sheer colour and variety, in the depth of characterisation and the exceptional range and refinement of her musicianship she imparts a power and stature to this music (and poetry). She is of course, aided and abetted by the breathtaking soprano of Miss McFadden on “Doors” and “A Child’s Garden” both of which are based on works by the poet W.S. Merwin and R.L. Stevenson respectively.

On “Questions of Travel” Ms Hemenway was inspired to write for trio by the poetry of the great Elizabeth Bishop. These seven vignettes bloom in variety and stylishness which is matched perfectly in performance by Miss Braithwaite, cellist Michael Stirling and pianist Vaughan Schlepp. Both cellist and pianist are, here, fully attuned to Miss Braithwaite’s artistry and vision of the works. “Asian Figures” is based on Mr Merwin’s oriental poems and is both seductively and persuasively performed. Miss Alexander, the other brilliant soprano, joins in on duets that bring Langston Hughes’ lyric work to life in the work entitled “Four Poems of Langston Hughes”. The disc gets its name from work, and a poem, by Ford Madox Ford who was with a group of pioneers at the turn of the century, responsible for Imagisme, as one of the group’s founders, Ezra Pound, once called it.

This is music of ravishing beauty, played with aristocratic grace and masterful psychological ambiguity. It is also music performed with insolently effortless and debonair virtuosity, and with appropriate deference evoking the language of the requisite poetry as few could even hope to try.

Released – 2019
Label – Et’cetera (KTC 1632)
Runtime – 1:11:55

CD REVIEW by Gerard Scheltens, January 2019 Originally in Dutch. (Translated into English by Nancy Braithwaite )

Edith Hemenway -To Paradise for Onions/ Songs and Chamber Works

Doors (2010)

Questions of Travel(1999, arr. 2007)

To Paradise for Onions (2001)

A Child’s Garden of Verses (1984)

Asian Figures (1979)

Four Poems of Langston Hughes (ca. 1980-1985)

Claron McFadden, soprano

Roberta Alexander, soprano

Nancy Braithwaite, clarinet

Michael Stirling, cello

Vaughan Schlepp, piano

Et’cetera KTC 1632 . 72’. (2018)

Edith Hemenway? Never heard of her? That will change now since she was the focal point of a sympathetic crowdfunding project. In 2017-2018 the clarinetist Nancy Braithwaite raised enough money and gathered a group of like-minded musicians around her, which resulted in a CD full of sensitive music which makes one curious about other works by this American composer.

Edith Hemenway was born in 1926 in Boston as Edith Fitz (Hemenway is the last name of her deceased husband) and had piano lessons as a child with Colette Lionne, the wife of the famous organist, E.Power Biggs. After her university study of English she moved to San Francisco where she specialized in Bach on the organ, accompanied singers on the piano and studied composition. Eventually she settled in Rhode Island where she now lives and composed 4 operas, three of which are for children.

Her meeting with Nancy Braithwaite led her to compose songs and chamber music bestowed with a special color through the prominent role of the clarinet. Braithwaite, who has lived in The Netherlands for many years, became a strong champion of Hemenway’s works. She began the successful crowdfunding campaign resulting in this CD, which was presented in Amsterdam in December 2018 with the 92 year old composer in attendance.

The compositions of Edith Hemenway are inseparable from literature, as there is a large connection between the words and the music. I even have the suspicion that she wouldn’t be able to compose without literary inspiration, but I would need to know more of her work to be sure.

Hemenway set poems to music by W.S. Merwin (Doors), Robert Louis Stevenson (A Child’s Garden) and Langston Hughes (Four Poems), but also was inspired in her instrumental chamber music by poetry (often in the form of aphorisms) by Elizabeth Bishop (Questions of Travel), Ford Madox Ford (To paradise for Onions) and again by W.S. Merwin (Asian Figures). Actually these poems should also have been included in the CD booklet -just as the the texts for the three song cycles were included- but this detail is the only omission in this beautifully presented CD by Et’cetera.

The songs and instrumental movements, in most cases, only take a maximum of twee minutes. Hemenway’s work is not groundbreakingly modern and brings up associations with much music that we know from the past. Such an atmospheric amalgam of Bach, Schubert, Fauré, Debussy and Ravel often gets labeled ‘eclectic’, but an absolutely vigorous and unique personality comes through the music. Hemenway has the ability to create the spacious atmosphere of a landscap, or the feelings of loneliness or loss, in which the tone color of the clarinet plays a special role.

The care and love with which the CD is made is audible. Clarinetist Nancy Braithwaite, the motor behind this production, gathered four like-minded souls around her. The virtuoso soprano Claron McFadden takes responsibility for the song cycles “Doors” and A Child’s Garden of Verses” and in the Four Duets of Langston Hughes she forms a seamless unity with the warm voice of Roberta Alexander. Cellist Michael Stirling ( known from the Radio Philharmonic) supplies an idiomatic contribution and Vaughan Schlepp’s omnipresent piano ties everything together. This music is discreet, intriguing, intelligent and compelling. I’m curious about more of Edith Hemenway’s works.

And one more thing, the enigmatic title of the CD. This is derived from “When the World was in building”, the creation story according to Ford Madox Ford:

“And life will begin… I will punt you

To paradise for the sugar and onions”.

Edith Hemenway - To Paradise for Onions / Songs and Chamber Works

Doors (2010) - Questions of Travel (1999, arr. 2007) - To Paradise for Onions (2001) - A Child's Garden of Verses (1984) - Asian Figures (1979) - Four Poems of Langston Hughes (± 1980-1985)

Claron McFadden en Roberta Alexander (sopraan), Nancy Braithwaite (klarinet), Michael Stirling (cello), Vaughan Schlepp (piano)

Et'cetera KTC 1632 • 72' • (2018)

CD-recensie

© Gerard Scheltens, januari 2019

Edith Hemenway? Nooit van gehoord? Dat zal nu veranderen, want ze was het middelpunt van een sympathiek crowdfunding-project. Klarinettiste Nancy Braithwaite bracht in 2017-2018 genoeg fondsen bij elkaar, verzamelde een aantal gelijkgestemde zielen om zich heen en het resultaat is een cd vol fijnzinnige muziek die nieuwgierig maakt naar ander werk van de Amerikaanse componiste.

Edith Hemenway werd geboren in 1926 in Boston als Edith Fitz (Hemenway is de naam van haar overleden echtgenoot) en had als kind pianoles bij Colette Lionne, de vrouw van de beroemde organist

E. Power Biggs. Na haar studie Engels verhuisde ze naar San Francisco en werd daar een Bach-specialiste op het orgel, begeleidde zangers op de piano en studeerde compositie. Inmiddels gevestigd in Rhode Island, waar ze nog woont, componeerde ze vier opera's, waarvan drie voor kinderen. De kennismaking met Nancy Braithwaite leidde tot de compositie van liederen en kamermuziek waaraan de prominente rol van de klarinet een speciale kleur verleent. Braithwaite, die al jaren in Nederland woont, werd een groot voorvechter van Hemenway's werk. Ze startte de succesvolle crowdfunding waaruit nu de cd voortkomt die in december 2018, in het bijzijn van de 92-jarige componiste, in Amsterdam ten doop werd gehouden.

De composities van Edith Hemenway zijn niet los te zien van de literatuur, want het verband tussen woord en muziek is groot. Ik heb zelfs het vermoeden dat ze niet zou kunnen componeren zonder literaire aanleiding, maar daarvoor zou ik meer van haar werk moeten kennen. Hemenway toonzette gedichten van W.S. Merwin (Doors), Robert Louis Stevenson (A Child's Garden of Verses) en Langston Hughes (Four Poems), maar liet zich voor haar instrumentale kamermuziek ook inspireren door vaak aforistische poëzie van Elizabeth Bishop (Questions of Travel), Ford Madox Ford (In Paradise for Onions) en opnieuw W.S. Merwin (Asian Figures). Eigenlijk hadden die gedichten ook in het cd-boekje moeten staan - zoals dat wel is gebeurd bij de drie liedcycli - maar dit detail is de enige omissie in deze mooi verzorgde cd-uitgave van Et'cetera.

De liederen en instrumentale stukken duren in de meeste gevallen hooguit twee minuten. Hemenway's werk is niet baanbrekend modern en roept associaties op met veel muziek die we kennen uit de traditie. Zo'n atmosferisch amalgaam van Bach, Schubert, Fauré, Debussy, Ravel krigt dan het etiket 'eclectisch', maar er komt een absoluut krachtige en eigenzinnige persoonlijkheid doorheen. Hemenway heeft het vermogen om de ruimtelijke sfeer van een landschap of geresigneerde gevoelens van eenzaamheid of verlies te creëren, waarbij de klankkleur van de klarinet een speciale rol speelt.

De cd is met hoorbare zorg en liefde gemaakt. Klarinettiste Nancy Braithwaite, de motor van deze productie , verzamelde vier gelijkgestemde zielen om zich heen. De virtuoze sopraan Claron McFadden neemt de cycli Doors en A Child's Garden of Verses voor

haar rekening, en in de vier duetten van Langston Hughes vormt ze een naadkoze eenheid met de warme stem van Roberta Alexander. Cellist Michael Stirling (bekend van het Radio Filharmonisch) levert een idiomatische bijdrage aan Doors en Questions of Travel en de alomtegenwoordige piano van Vaughan Schlepp bindt alles aan elkaar. Deze muziek is ingetogen, intrigerend, intelligent en innemend. Ik ben benieuwd naar meer werk van Edith Hemenway.

Nog even over de raadselachtige titel van de cd. Die is ontleend aanWhen the World was in building, het scheppingsverhaal volgens Ford Madox Ford:

"And life will begin... I will punt you
To paradise for the sugar and onions".

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Dear donators,
Here is a digital link to the Hemenway CD that doesn't expire. I hope you all enjoy it and I would love to hear your comments! Yesterday Hans Haffmans played a number of selections from the CD on Radio 4 in The Netherlands. Really wonderful that the CD is getting attention!
You can listen to the radio program here. At 44.42 min.
https://www.nporadio4.nl/podium/gemist

We are looking for venues to perform this program. All suggestions are welcome!

All the best,
Nancy

MP3: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/THIofrYYoR
WAV: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/SurTHvsfHP

Dear supporters of the Hemenway CD project,

Saturday evening at the CD release concert we performed a very special program of Edith Hemenway's music including some of the works on our CD and 4 world premiers. Edith has continued to compose for us throughout 2018!

We were thrilled to be able to hand Edith Hemenway a CD in person at the concert in Splendor in Amsterdam. The well-filled hall was very enthusiastic about Hemenway's music! It was a very beautiful and moving evening.
Edith arrived the day before and coached us on her music all afternoon on Friday. She has an amazing amount of energy! It;s hard to believe that she will be 92 years old this month.

Here below you can find the digital link to the CD recording.

Please note that this we- transfer link will be deleted on December 19th. You need to download the CD quickly onto your computer.

You can also order CDs by sending me an email:
Nancy Braithwaite
[email protected]

Our next steps are to find a publisher for Edith's music and to continue to perform these delightful works.
Let us know if you have ideas for concert venues!

Thanks again for your support! Without you, this CD would not have been possible!

Warm wishes,

Nancy Braithwaite

[email protected]
sent you some files30 files, 723 MB in total ・ Will be deleted on 19 December, 2018Get your filesTracks HemenwayDownload link
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/f0aec10ea182edfa369432df5e1cf32220181212153449/97b831a71046a16a028f6223cb96dec520181212153449/b38a5a30 files
A child's garden II.wav
Asian figures II.wav
Asian figures IV.wav
Hope.wav
Questions of Travel V.wav

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https://splendor.stager.nl/web/tickets/244079

Tickets to the CD release concert on Saturday evening Dec. 8th at 8.15 are available through Splendor's website. Here is a link! You can also buy tickets at the door.
Anyone who donated 100 euros or more to our crowdfunding campaign gets a free CD!
We are so excited that we can hand Edith Hemenway the CD in person at this concert!

Warm wishes,
Nancy Braithwaite!

MEET THE COMPOSER!
8 december 20:15

Splendor
Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 116
1011LX Amsterdam

Door open at 19:45
Tickets in advance € 20; at the door € 25 Members and CJP € 22,50
Number of tickets: 80
CD 15 euro Cash only.

Claron McFadden, Soprano
Roberta Alexander, soprano
Nancy Braithwaite, clarinet
Michael Stirling, cello
Vaughan Schlepp, piano

Music of Edith Hemenway and Leonard Bernstein
It was exactly a year ago that we launched a crowdfunding campaign to make a CD with chamber and vocal music of the 91 year old American composer, Edith Hemenway. Thanks to the generosity of music fans and in particular with the help of an anonymous mecenas, we reached our goal. We are proud to present during this extraordinary concert the CD: " To Paradise For Onions": chamber music and vocal music of Edith Hemenway. We will be performing selections from the CD and also some works that Edith has written for us in the past year!
Leonard Bernstein was born 100 years ago, only 8 years before Edith and both grew up in Boston. To honor him Claron McFadden, soprano, Roberta Alexander, soprano and Vaughan Schlepp, piano will perform a few jewels from his vocal oeuvre.
During last year’s crowdfunding concert, we set up a skype link so Edith could listen in; this time she said she wants to hear it live and she’s flying over for the concert**!.** It’s going to be a memorable evening and we hope you will come and share it with us.

Muziek van Edith Hemenway en Leonard Bernstein
Het is bijna een jaar geleden dat we een crowdfunding campagne begonnen waren om de kamermuziek van de 91 jarige Amerikaanse componiste Edith Hemenway op CD te zetten. Dankzij alle steun van muziekliefhebbers en in het bijzonder van een anonym mecenas, is het ons gelukt! Met trots presenteren we tijdens dit bijzonder concert de CD "To Paradise For Onions": kamermuziek and vocale muziek van Edith Hemenway.
Leonard Bernstein is 100 jaar geleden geboren ( maar 8 jaar vóór Edith!) en beide zijn in Boston opgegroeied. We dachten dat het mooi zou zijn om hem tijdens dit concert ook te vereeren met een paar juweeltjes uit zijn vokale oeuvre gezongen door Claron McFadden en Roberta Alexander.
Het word een feest enEdith heeft net gezegd dat ze komt!

Dear supporters,

This is to let you know that we are planning a CD release concert on Saturday evening December 8, 2018 in Amsterdam.
The final editing of the recording is finished and I am in the process of sending the text for the CD booklet to Etcetera Records.
Thanks to my sister, Ann Braithwaite, who is a publicist based in the USA for primarily jazz musicians, we already have some reviewers in the USA interested in hearing this CD, including the Chicago Tribune!

We hope to see all of you at the CD release concert! There will be some extra special musical treats at this performance!!!

Here is the story of this CD that I have written for PR especially in the USA:

The story behind this CD began in the fall of 1979 after a Savannah Symphony Orchestra concert. I was principal clarinet of the orchestra and Edith Hemenway, who had recently moved to town from her native Boston, came backstage to tell me that she was a composer and would like to write a piece for me. I agreed immediately!

That work, which captivated me completely, was “Asian Figures” for clarinet and piano, inspired by short poems collected from Asian sayings by W.S. Merwin. With Edith at the piano, we premiered the work on January 6, 1980 in a private concert at the composer’s home. This collaboration was the beginning of a lifelong friendship!

Subsequently, Edith, who has a masters in vocal accompanying from New England Conservatory and a masters in composition from Brown University, wrote “A Child’s Garden” for soprano, clarinet and piano based on the well-loved poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. Both of these early works reflect the composer’s love of poetry and her fondness for short descriptive movements.

In 1981 I fell in love with a young Dutch conductor at Tanglewood and a year later I moved to the Netherlands. Edith, who had returned to Boston, continued to write for me transcribing her “To Paradise for Onions” for clarinet and piano (originally for English horn and piano) and “Questions of Travel” for clarinet, cello and piano (originally for solo piano) and subsequently composing “Doors” for soprano, clarinet (or flute), cello and piano.

Of these five wonderful works, only “Asian Figures” has been published. The rest are completely unknown. I was aware of the treasures in my possession and in 2011 I contacted pianist Vaughan Schlepp, who had premiered “Questions of Travel” and “Doors” with me, with the idea of performing all five of Hemenway’s clarinet works in September 2011. Vaughan was enthusiastic and we invited Edith Hemenway to visit The Netherlands, coach us on her works and attend the concerts, which were very well received.

Fast forward to June 2016 when I was participating in an international webinar “ Step into a Bigger Space” for women artists taught by the inspiring coach Laura Carmichael. As one of our

assignments, we were required to take a leap in our careers. This was to be a small step to be taken immediately, as part of an exciting and challenging bigger project.
As I sat at my laptop pondering the task, I received an email from an American clarinetist whom I did not know. She had the score for “Asian Figures” with the dedication “for Nancy Braithwaite” and wrote asking performance questions. The idea for my leap and larger project was born!

I decided to record Edith’s clarinet music and make the scores available. I turned to Facebook seeking recommendations for a good recording technician in The Netherlands and
contacted pianist Vaughan Schlepp, my friend since our student days at the Eastman School of Music, to see if he would participate. His reply was a definitive yes. Not only would he play piano but he could also put the scores into digital form.

Edith is inspired by poetry and she felt strongly that the soprano parts in both “A Child’s Garden” and “Doors” should be performed by a singer whose native language is English.
Fortunately my friend and colleague at the Rotterdam Conservatory, soprano Roberta Alexander was able to advise me. Although these songs were not suited to her voice she contacted soprano Claron McFadden who agreed to sing.

I sent recordings of Claron and Roberta to Edith Hemenway and she was ECSTATIC about both voices! Edith requested that her four vocal duets for two female voices be included on the CD and Roberta graciously agreed to sing the duets with Claron.
At that time I had no idea that the poems for these duets were written by the famous black American poet Langston Hughes . By some kind of miracle both sopranos are black Americans and could completely understand the language, meaning and depth of these poems.

Some years earlier I had performed with cellist Michael Stirling, and I had always wanted to work with him again. He was immediately positive about the project. With all five performers in place we set the recording dates for November 2017, more than a year in the future due to the busy schedules of these wonderful international artists.

I had no money to finance this project, only the vague idea of crowdfunding. I was determined to make the project happen and it was important not to delay as Edith Hemenway was born in 1926 and we wanted her to be involved in the process of preparing her music and to have the joy of receiving the CD.

In the year preceding our recording dates I came into contact with a lovely couple Dick and Marijke Snellenberg who, as a hobby, often record performances of my ensembles on video. I had asked them in March 2018 if they would record a short crowdfunding video for my Hemenway CD project. On May 5th I saw them again and Dick asked how the crowdfunding was going. I confessed to feeling overwhelmed by the idea and said that I was worried about raising enough money to cover the expenses. At that point Dick consulted with Marijke and then told me that they would like to help finance the project. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and amazement. Everything about this project kept falling into place!
Subsequently, we raised half of the money through crowdfunding and the remainder Dick and Marijke contributed through their Mieke Foundation, set up in his sister Mieke’s memory after her untimely death.

During the rehearsal period Edith both coached us and attended our two tryout concerts via Skype. At the second concert Edith was beamed onto a large screen while Claron interviewed her. The musicians, our financial backers and the audiences were extremely enthusiastic about Hemenway’s music.

We are thrilled that this Hemenway CD has been accepted for release on the respected label Etcetera Records and we hope that through the distribution of the CD, publication of her works and our performances of her music Edith Hemenway will gain the recognition that she so very much deserves.

Written by Nancy Braithwaite, clarinet
The Netherlands

Dear Supporters,

After a quiet period here I have great news!
Today I met with the owner of Etcetera Records. I had already sent him a copy of the 2nd edit of our recording and he was very positive!
Etcetera has agreed to bring out our Hemenway CD on their recording label and take care of all the distribution, CD booklet, and international PR.
We are all thrilled!
I immediately called Edith Hemenway to share this exciting news!
Etcetera says that we are shooting for an October release date for the CD.
We musicians are in the process of commenting on the 2nd edit and we hope to have the final version of the recording ready soon.
Edith will write the program notes for the CD booklet and we plan to have a photo of Edith Hemenway on the cover of the CD.

I'll keep you posted! We will have to be patient for a while longer but this is worth the wait!

Warm wishes and THANK YOU TO ALL!
Nancy Braithwaite

Dear supporters,

Hurray! We finished recording all 6 of Edith Hemenway works for the CD ! What an intense and worthwhile project! We musicians are all rather sad that it is over!!
We had a fabulous time rehearsing the music, coaching with Edith on Skype, performing the 2 concerts and then the 5 days of recording.
Now we will wait to hear the first edits from our sound engineer!

It was heartwarming to feel the positive reactions to this wonderful music from the audiences at our 2 tryout concerts!
Edith spoke with the audience via Skype at the 2nd concert and was thrilled not only to attend both concerts on Skype but especially to receive video recordings of these concerts from Dick and Marijke Snellenberg. This gave Edith the opportunity to hear and see the performances with much better sound quality.

TO give you an idea of how much this project has meant to her I include a quote from her after having heard the first video?

"I can't BELIEVE how good you all were!!! That skype gave me NO IDEA! You played so beautifully!!! Everybody did!! And Claron and Roberta were magnificent. You were all so simpatico with the music, it was a dream come true, better than I could have imagined. And it was wonderful seeing you all on the film; I am going to watch this over and over!
Truly, I'm overwhelmed, and can't thank you enough for giving me this great gift."

When the cd's are ready, and we don't know yet how long that will take, we plan to have a CD presentation concert in Amsterdam and we will certainly let you all know about it!

I am VERY HAPPY to report that thanks to all of your generous support from both sides of the Atlantic we have reached our goal of 25 thousand euro!!!!!
This should hopefully cover the costs of the CD which include:

rental of the hall
rental of the grand piano
the sound engineer
making all of the scores and parts into a digital edition
musicians fees
editing and mixing of the CD recording takes
the CD itself
the CD booklet
art work for the cover
CD release concert
distribution of the CD
PR for the CD

You will be contacted about receiving the CD and digital download of the recording when it is available.

Our heartfelt thanks to all of you!

Warm wishes,
Nancy Braithwaite

Dear supporters,

Tonight at 8:15 PM is our pre-recording concert at the Uilenburger Synagogue , Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 91, 1011 LM Amsterdam.
If you contributed 50 euro or more you are entitled to free tickets and your name will be on a list at the door.
Tickets will also be available at the door voor 15 euros.

We have rented a wonder Fazioli grand piano for the concert and recording sessions, which will also take place in this beautiful location. The acoustics are magical!!

The deadline to donate to this project has been extended by 2 weeks. Edith Hemenway's family in the USA was still collecting donations which need to be transferred to the crowdfunding site and Voordekunst is exploring a possible donation from a partner of the crowdfunding site. We also would like to give audience members at the concert this evening an opportunity to contribute after being captivated by Edith Hemenway's music!

Tomorrow is first of 6 recording days spread out over 10 days.
We have so enjoyed our preparations, including sessions with Edith Hemenway over skype during our rehearsals. She has been intimately involved in the entire process.

We hope to see you this evening at the concert!

Best wishes,
Nancy Braithwaite

Dear supporters of our Edith Hemenway project,

This week has been very exciting! In this final period of preparation before the recording sessions we have been playing the works in Amsterdam on Skype to the composer, who lives in Providence, Rhode Island.
Edith has been so very helpful with her comments on tempo, line, balance and the correct feeling for each piece. It's wonderful to work with a living composer and actually hear from her how she wants her music to sound! We are all very committed to this this project and LOVE Hemenway's music!

Tomorrow evening we will play a tryout concert in a private home in Amsterdam which will be recorded on video and audio by our friends Dick and Marijke Snellenberg. We will send Edith the recording so she can continue to make comments and fine tune our interpretation of her works.

On Sunday evening November 19th at 8.15 pm we will give a public tryout concert at the Uilenburger Synagogue , Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 91, 1011 LM Amsterdam.
If you donated 50 euros or more you are entitled to free tickets to this special concert.
50 euro= 2 tickets
100 euro =2 tickets
200 euro 3 tickets
300 euro 4 tickets

Tickets will also be sold at the door. It is a public concert.
Please let me know by email if you will be using your free tickets so that we can reserve places for you and have your tickets ready for you at the concert.

Nancy Braithwaite
email:
[email protected]

Edith Hemenway and some of her family will be with us for this concert by Skype and we hope that Edith will speak to the audience about her music.
Edith is thrilled with the musicians and feels that this whole project is a miracle in her life!
Thank you all so much for helping to make this possible!

Warm wishes,
Nancy Braithwaite

Thank you to all of you for your generous donations! We so appreciate your support!
Mick Stirling, cello, Vaughan Schlepp, piano and I (Nancy Braithwaite, clarinet) have been rehearsing 'Questions of Travel' these past 2 weeks. Mick did not know the music of Edith Hemenway before and he is now a fan as well!
We have the rest of our rehearsals set for early November and begin recording on November 20th. We have 5 recording days planned to record 6 works.
Vaughan Schlepp has been in almost daily contact with the composer to discuss details in her music. They have so much fun talking that the conversations often go on for 2 hours! Vaughan is making a digital edition of all 6 works so that other musicians can play Edith's wonderful compositions!

Please share our crowdfunding project with all your friends!

Warm wishes,
Nancy Braithwaite

Thank you to all of you for your generous donations! We so appreciate your support!
Mick Stirling, cello, Vaughan Schlepp, piano and I (Nancy Braithwaite, clarinet) have been rehearsing 'Questions of Travel' these past 2 weeks. Mick did not know the music of Edith Hemenway before and he is now a fan as well!
We have the rest of our rehearsals set for early November and begin recording on November 20th. We have 5 recording days planned to record 6 works.
Vaughan Schlepp has been in almost daily contact with the composer to discuss details in her music. They have so much fun talking that the conversations often go on for 2 hours! Vaughan is making a digital edition of all 6 works so that other musicians can play Edith's wonderful compositions!

Please share our crowdfunding project with all your friends!

Warm wishes,
Nancy Braithwaite