Female artists make history in Erie
The Erie Philharmonic will present a concerto by composer Vivian Fung for trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden.
Sound the trumpet. Music has united two women who will createquite a stir when they visit Erie as part of the Erie Philharmonic’sworld premiere of their work on March 7.
“We’ll be presenting a trumpet concerto written by award-winning composer Vivian Fung for trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden,” Steve Weiser announced in an email. “This is one of the only concertos in history written by and performed by female artists and we are the leading orchestra in the world-commissioning of this new work. Other orchestras and universities are part of our consortium, but we are the lead ensemble and will present the world premiere.”
The Erie Phil applied for and received a national grant from New Music USA that made commissioning the work for Fung and Bowden possible, and the project was selected as one of 114 out of 1,500 applications from across the country.
Who are these women and how did they meet?
Classicaltrumpeter Bowden, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has been to Erie aspart of an all-female Kassia Ensemble that performed at Penn StateBehrend a few times. She appeared in April after the release of one ofher solo albums, “Rêverie,” to perform at a concert for Music at Noon:The Logan Series in the Reed Union Building.
Bowden has also performed with Adele, in 2016.
Fung,an award-winning composer who has made a name for herself in her nativeCanada, is working on the concerto right now. She currently lives inCalifornia and was packing up to move from one home to another inBerkeley with her husband and son when we spoke.
Fung and Bowden had never met before last year. Bowden had contactedher after she heard some of Fung’s work. “She was looking for someone tocompose a new concerto, and she wanted to discover new voices and womencomposers,” Fung explained. “One of her colleagues recommended me. Shewas struck by my music.”
Bowden visited Fung at her home inCalifornia, and that’s where the collaboration started. “She stayed withme, and she’s really quite a go-getter. We connected and I like hervery much,” Fung said.
The composition that Fung is writing willinvolve Bowden’s input and her strengths. “It’s a back and forthprocess, and we will have her feedback,” Fung said. “I really want to beable to display her talent. It’s difficult to be a soloist in a fielddominated by men.”
The collaboration is much more than a one-time gig. The goal is to “get a recording in place,” Fung said.
Bowden,who was in Miami at the International Trumpet Guild conference when wespoke, has been a proponent of female composers and musicians. “I reallywanted a female composer and fell in love with her violin concerto,”Bowden said of Fung. “She came up with so many colors of sound in herpieces. We are doing a lot of collaboration via Skype.”
DanielMeyer, conductor of the Erie Phil, said the collaboration of Fung andBowden will gain national attention. “Vivian is starting to catch fire —she is recognized in Canada as a leading composer, and we will be theworld premiere of this work in Erie,” he said.
Meyer said thatpeople might only know the trumpet for fanfares and outdoor music, butthey will be surprised by some of the sounds in concert. “It’s capableof some beautiful and sophisticated music-making. It can be calm andintrospective,” he said. Meyer added that Fung composes on “a molecularlevel.”
“She starts with really tiny music ... and the swirl and the interplay starts and the results are fascinating,” he said.
Bowden has another connection to Erie in addition to herperformance at Behrend, Weiser said. “I’ve known Mary since our days inPhilly together back in the early 2000s. I was a percussion student atTemple at the same time she was a trumpet student at the CurtisInstitute of Music. I’m incredibly excited about the chance to createthis new piece of music with Mary as the lead soloist. To think that theErie Philharmonic is helping to make history with this commission isvery humbling,” he said.
Bowden agreed that national musiciansare interconnected. “It’s funny how small the music world is and youconnect with someone you haven’t seen in 20 years. Vivan and I havefound we have many mutual friends, and we are connected in some ways,”she said.
Why did she choose the trumpet? “I pretty much gothooked in fifth grade. I had two older brothers who played trombone andhorn. I wanted to play the horn, but my brother wouldn’t let me. Istarted with the cornet, and then the trumpet. It was kind of acompetition. They kept me motivated, and I felt I needed to catch up andreach their level,” she said.
Bowden is still motivated toexcel, and her mission is to help more female soloists and performersstart on an entrepreneurial path. “I’ve been developing a solo careerand playing for 10 years. I really had to create my own business,” shesaid. “I want to create something new and exciting.”
Indeveloping her career, she learned how to collaborate and handle all theadministrative tasks. “Persistence and hard work pay off and believingin the project and receiving the grant is such an honor,” she said.
Bowdenis active in teaching and international solo performances. This fall,she will be the assistant professor of trumpet at ShenandoahConservatory in Winchester, Virginia. She also performs with herall-female ensemble, Seraph Brass. Her husband, David Dash, is also aprofessional trumpeter and he teaches. They perform together onoccasion.
More than one gig
When Fung and Bowden visit Erie in March, it won’t just be forthe performance at the Warner Theatre. Weiser said Fung will speak atthe Jefferson Society on March 5 in conjunction with the League of WomanVoters. Bowden will present a trumpet masterclass for local trumpetstudents, and she’ll be appearing at WQLN for a live interview andmini-performance. Both women will be involved in education, as well.
Fungand Bowden are looking forward to the concert. “It’s a beautifultheater and I’ve made a lot of friends in Erie. It will be a specialexperience,” Bowden said.
Pam Parker is the editor of Houseto Home, Her Times and Lake Erie LifeStyle. She can be reached at870-1821 or by email. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HerTimesErie.