I hope that you’ve had a pleasant October!
The trees here in Oakville have been looking their very best and this year in particular, I feel I am appreciating their beauty even more.
And speaking of Oakville, I’d like to invite you to listen to a very special episode of The Eternal Feminine Podcast Series!
A few weeks ago, Suzanne and I were thrilled to speak with Sybil Rampen, a talented artist, author, and teacher, who also happens to be the niece of our featured composer Amice Calverley.
Amice Calverley was born in London, England in 1896, but moved to Oakville, Canada with her family in 1912. Calverley was celebrated in archaeological circles for her work on King Sethos I’s tomb in Abydos, Egypt – Calverley was responsible for documenting (in drawing and photographs) the frescoes which decorated this incredible tomb. Her illustrations were published in a four-volume set, funded largely by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who remained one of her friends for the rest of her life.
Calverley studied composition with Healey Willan at the Toronto Conservatory of Music and later with Ralph Vaughan Williams in London. Though she ultimately did not pursue music as a profession, it remained her first love and Calverley held musical salons at her home in Oakville regularly right up until her very sudden death in 1959.
Ms. Rampen has entrusted Calverley’s music to the Canadian Music Centre, which is how Suzanne and I discovered her when we were researching Canadian women composers in the public domain. We perform Calverley’s delightful lullaby Cradle Song for the episode.
Click here to listen to the full Amice Calverley episode.
You can also watch the full interview with Ms. Rampen here.
This was our final episode of our Eternal Feminine Podcast Series. Suzanne and I have truly enjoyed learning about these remarkable women and bringing their works to you!
We’re currently planning an online concert for early next year and also have other podcast series in the works…stay tuned!
With love and gratitude,
Daniella