13 Sep 2020 UCA plans Suffrage Centennial concert
The University of Central Arkansas will host a Suffrage Centennial Faculty Chamber Concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, in Reynolds Performance Hall.
The event is part of the UCA’s Suffrage Centennial celebration that includes events throughout the fall.
The concert, “American Women in Music and Prose,” is being curated by UCA professor of violin Linda Hsu and will feature all women composers, including pieces by Amy Beach (1867-1944), Gail Robertson (b. 1965), Florence Price (1887-1953) and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (b. 1939). The evening will also feature a poetry reading by Patricia Poulter, UCA provost and executive vice president.
“The arts were such a big part of the suffrage movement because they have the power to inspire and motivate people, critical in fueling any revolutionary movement,” said Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “I’m so pleased that the concert will feature all women composers, including a work by Little Rock native Florence Price, the first African American woman to gain national recognition for her symphonies.”
Seymour is one of the lead organizers of UCA’s Suffrage Centennial, which includes a series of suffrage centennial multidisciplinary arts events and installations intended to inspire conversation and celebrate this landmark moment in American history.
Other suffrage centennial events include a temporary sculptural installation titled “Shag Pools,” led and overseen by New York-based artist Sharon Louden; a suffrage dance performance by CORE Dance Co.; spoken-word suffrage speeches by The Writeous Poets; and more.
Admission to the concert is free; reservations are not required.
To abide by COVID-19 health guidelines set forth by the Arkansas Department of Health, attendees must maintain six feet of distance from others and wear face coverings at all times while inside Reynolds Performance Hall. No food or drink will be allowed in the building.
For more information about the Suffrage Centennial and associated events and artists, visit uca.edu/cahss/suffrage-centennial/.
