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The Ladies Speak

The Ladies Speak

By: Matt Spangler
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The Ladies Speak explores the lives and legacies of American women classical composers of the 19th and early 20th centuries – a group of pioneers often overlooked by the mainstream classical world. The series will examine the work of Florence Price, Amy Beach, Margaret Ruthven Lang and others, making the case that they should be considered within the pantheon of great music produced by this country.© 2026 The Ladies Speak Music
Episodes
  • Margaret Bonds

    Margaret Bonds
    Oct 13 2025

    Beatrice Nicolas discusses the folk idioms and civil rights struggles that inspired the composition of Margaret Bonds' Troubled Water, which the British concert pianist recorded on her 2024 EP Black and Classical a mere four years after the suite was finally published.

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    7 mins
  • BONUS EPISODE - Full Interview with Beatrice Nicolas on Margaret Bonds

    BONUS EPISODE - Full Interview with Beatrice Nicolas on Margaret Bonds
    Oct 12 2025

    Hear the full interview with Beatrice Nicolas as she dives into the folk idioms and civil rights struggles that inspired the work of Margaret Bonds, as well the friendship of the composer and pianist with Florence Price and poet Langston Hughes, and her journey through some of the most turbulent social justice struggles of the 20th century.
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    31 mins
  • Florence Price

    Florence Price
    Aug 23 2025

    Florence Price is now widely known as the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra, as well as the composer of over 300 symphonies, concertos, sonatas and songs that show an astounding virtuosity and range. Her earlier work has received less attention, but in this episode we explore the extraordinary array of influences in it through the journey of award-winning pianist and scholar Karen Walwyn, who followed Price's path from Little Rock to Chicago as she prepared to record an album of the composer's nascent piano compositions.

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    19 mins
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