Her heart is in your hands

BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

Sometimes it's like one hand clapping - nobody can hear it. In this case, if concert venues don't play music created by women, nobody gets to hear it, or develop an appreciation for an alternative voice.

Elaine Vander Plate Held is one woman who believes it is important to highlight music written by women. She has been working for almost a decade to bring women composers to Monmouth County and the larger world.

The seventh year of the Honoring Women Composers lecture/concert fulfills its creator's vision once again: to introduce audiences to the extraordinary work of women composers and to the work of one living composer in particular. This year, New York City-based composer Noa Ain will be the featured composer at the March 19 concert at 4 p.m.

Ain's music will be played by Held, a Bradley Beach pianist, and sung by soprano Trudy Ellen Craney, who lives in New York City but grew up in Middletown. Craney will perform three song cycles, one of which will be on the trauma breast cancer inflicts on the entire family.

In addition, Held will interpret music by French Romantic composer Louise Farrenc, and violinist Joel DeWitt will play a solo violin sonata by Grazyna Bacewicz.

Something new has been added to this year's concert; a 10-minute musical theater film titled "Silence Tanna Ross."

"The film is about a young girl who survived a concentration camp by hiding in her grandmother's dirty laundry. Most of the music is by Noa Ain," Held said.

She explained that because Ain is in Poland and won't be able to attend the concert in person, there will be a video with her remarks and regrets. In addition, Ain is also a visual artist and four of her works are on display at the meeting house.

Ain was living in New York City until quite recently when she purchased a house with a studio in Amenia, N.Y. She is familiar with Poland, having spent six years living in Krakow.

When the call came from a director in Poland that she particularly respects, she had to go.

"I'm going to Poland to work with an extraordinary director who runs a very old theater in Katowice. This is his version of Macbeth, and I'm writing music for his piece," she said just before she left.

Held said that Ain's music is what she calls cabaret music, music that tells a story that the singer acts out on stage.

"It's very personal music, about breast cancer, love lost, fantasy love, but all in this cabaret, jazzy style."

She added that Craney, will move around on the stage and interact with the audience as she sings her tales.

"The piano music is very introspective as well. She wrote it for a friend whose husband died and she played it for his memorial service. The style is again in a jazz idiom and reflects on the passing of this person," Held said. She explained that the piece 'Where are you now?' is a rumination looking at death; 'The Golden Door' is a suggestion of entering into another space; 'In that Place' is a dream sequence and 'Inner Life' is about living with life and moving forward."

Ain feels that her expressive music is for everybody.

"I've had famous composers as well as people who clean houses weeping," she said.

Ain explained that one of the pieces that will be performed at the concert is titled "Joan of Arc."

"It had one performance in New York, at a synagogue on the Lower East Side that had been used as a sacred space, but recently collapsed. Trudy Craney will also sing that piece. It was made for surround sound and one live performer, 'Joan.' "

Ain said it took her a very long time to perfect the piece.

"I played the sounds on the keyboard over several years."

Both Ain and Held think that it has not gotten any easier for women composers to have their music performed. But Ain said she can't be sure because her work is not easy to fit into the usual venues.

"I've been writing melodic music for a very long time. My pieces are like operas in that they are about things happening between people, and they are about feelings."

But, she added, "Our society has not been about feelings. There are hardly any people interested in producing my kind of compositions in New York, or in America."

She said the music industry doesn't know what to do with new works that are not either Broadway shows or in the regular opera mode.

"I don't write for an orchestra. I write for small chamber groups and I do it without all of the schmaltz," she said. "I have pieces for three performers and three musicians, or five performers and five musicians."

These works feel as if they are large-scale operas, but they are intimate and people respond to them on a deep emotional level, Ain said. She joked that she has garnered some recognition. "I've been in The New York Times crossword a couple of times."

On a serious note, she said, "I think it's hard for people to take women seriously. But, I think it's more that I've been interested in things of the heart and not about writing pieces that are current. I'm interested in the deeper meaning."

Held agreed with the composer. "I don't think things have changed at all for women composers. Just the other day a friend was telling me they went to the New Jersey Symphony and heard music by a new composer. Need I say, it was a male composer? They just don't get it!"

Held has been a one-woman advocate for all women, past and present, who compose high caliber music. An accomplished pianist herself, she plays the music of women composers whenever an opportunity arises.

In September, she played in a concert titled "World of Music," sponsored by the Monmouth Center for World Religion and Ethical Thought and the Allen Project in Asbury Park. The concert presented women composers and their music from all parts of the world: American gospel, Australian chamber, Indian devotional, Brazilian guitar, French piano solo, Asian dance and Israeli flute solo, using many different performers.

On May 6, she will be performing a concert of music by women composers in Den Bosh, The Netherlands.

In addition, she has been collaborating on a trade book on women composers with published author, William Noble.

"We wrote a chapter on Amy Beach and a book proposal with an outline and sent it out to over 15 literary agents. We got one tentative response," she said.

Then, since Noble has already published 20 books, they sent the chapter to publishers.

"Not even a hint of interest," she said. "Bill thinks it's because the subject has been used and is done, but I think that publishers just aren't interested in women composers."

She added that she has no interest in self-publishing and all that it requires, so the project is on hold.

In addition to Ain's compositions, violinist Joel DeWitt, of Little Silver, is playing a sonata by Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz written in 1941.

"She is a revered composer in Poland and little known in the USA. She was part of the composers' movement that has become the benchmark in 20th-century music and pivotal in Poland," Held said.

Held hopes to hear a lot of hands clapping at the concert and the reception with refreshments that follow the concert at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House at 1475 W. Front St. in Lincroft. The concert is the third in the congregation's Performing Arts Series. On April 30, Mad Agnes, a theatrical folk group will perform.

Advance ticket prices are $20 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, seven or fewer days before the event. On the day of performance, tickets are $25 adults and $15 students and seniors; children under 12 are $5 at all times.

For tickets, contact the UUCMC Meeting House at (732) 747-0707.

Elaine Vander Plate Held (below left) will play the music of Noa Ain (above), featured composer at the Honoring Women Composers concert to be held on March 19.