WorldView Episode 59: Laura Schwendinger

Welcome back to another hour of WorldView, featuring composers from Mexico, Egypt, and the United States! This episode includes a work written by Laura Schwendinger, a composer best known for winning the American Academy in Berlin Prize and receiving various fellowships from prominent American institutions. 

Laura Elise Schwendinger was born in Mexico City, Mexico, in 1962. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, and has taught in various faculty positions at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and more. One of Schwendinger’s most famous works, the opera “Artemisia”, was first performed in 2019. “Artemisia”, a speculative non-fiction work, tells the life story of Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, and was awarded the 2023 American Academy of Arts and Letters Charles Ives Opera Award. 

  Schwendinger has also worked with many professional ensembles and performers, including the Harvard Musical Association, Janine Jensen, and the National Flute Association. She has written hundreds of works, including pieces for chamber ensembles, orchestra, opera groups, and soloists. One of her most recent works, “Cabaret of Shadows”, was completed and produced in 2022. Episode fifty-nine of WorldView features Laura Schwendinger’s “Ce La Luna Questa Sera?”, which translates roughly to “Is There A Moon Tonight?”. Completed in 2006, the work was inspired by the reflection of moonlight on the surface of Lake Como in the Lombardy region of Italy. In this hour, “Ce La Luna Questa Sera?” is performed and recorded by the Lincoln Trio. Enjoy!

WorldView Episode Fifty-Nine Playlist:

Gamal ABDEL-RAHIM, “Variations on an Egyptian Folk Song”, {William Chapman Nyaho (pf)} - MSR Classics

Laura Elise SCHWENDINGER, “Ce La Luna Questa Sera?”, {Lincoln Trio} - Cedille Records

Sheila SILVER, “Concerto for Piano and Orchestra”, {Lithuania State Symphony Orchestra, Gintaras Rinkevičius (cond), Alexander Paley (pf)} - Naxos

WorldView is a classical music radio show featuring composers from everywhere in the world - except Western Europe. Tune in to hear works by lesser-known artists such as Nancy Dalberg and Isang Yun, and widen your knowledge of classical music. Hinke Younger hosts each week’s episode of WorldView on Mondays at 9AM and 6PM (with a rebroadcast Saturdays at 2PM) on Charlottesvilleclassical.org.