Peabody alumni Sophie Clarke (MM ’24, Voice) and Marjorie Sheiman (MM ’24, Voice) have co-founded a new treble vocal music ensemble, The Cecilia Collective, that works to amplify voices that have been historically silenced. With grants from Peabody LAUNCHPad and the Arthur Friedheim Library, as well as in collaboration with other Peabody Conservatory students and alumni, TCC will be hosting its inaugural event: “The Forgotten Genius of Josephine Lang.”

“The Forgotten Genius of Josephine Lang” will unlock the wonder of little-known German composer, Josephine Lang. Lang was well-renowned in her time, receiving praise from notable contemporaries like Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn, but quickly forgotten after her death in 1880. This recital looks to bring her work back into the public eye, through the performance and subsequent release of this music onto multiple streaming platforms.

The Cecilia Collective also uses this opportunity to address gender equity issues in Western classical music, both in past and present, through a poignant lecture-recital that will highlight the talent of musicians tied to the Peabody Conservatory from yesteryear and today. Its goal is to create an educational and enriching event that should provide both attendees and performers with a greater understanding of Josephine Lang’s life and repertoire, as well as provide context of gender and accompanying social expectations within classical music composition and the barriers and challenges that have had to be overcome by female composers.