The Queen gives music medal to a NY composer
mainLovely picture of HM with the New York-based composer Thea Musgrave, who receives the Queen’s Medal for Music for her 90th birthday this year.
Thea says: ‘Although much of my career has been on an international stage, this Medal represents my British heritage. ‘It also recognises the impact my Scottish roots has had on my music – which continue to this day to inform and nourish my work and to anchor my role in the world.’
photo: John Stillwell/PA Wire
Congratulations to a lovely lady who has composed some wonderful works. But an “NY Composer”? Surely not! As any who have met her know, she is as Scottish as they come! She may have been based in California and New York for half her life, but she remains as she herself says above British.
Musgrave has also previously been based in Norfolk, Virginia — the Virginia Opera have, to date, given productions of four of her operas (/Mary, Queen of Scots/, /A Christmas Carol/, /Harriet, the Woman Called Moses/, and /Simón Bolívar/), two of which they had commissioned. As for her ties to New York, it is relevant to observe that she was, from the late-1980s to 2003, a Distinguished Professor at Queen’s College, City University of New York.
She was married to Peter Mark, former general director of Virginia Opera.
not “was”. “is” is the proper verb…
I never thought of her as an American composer. I would like to get to know her works better.
Wasn’t the Queen’s Medal awarded to Thea Musgrave in 2017?
The medal for a calendar year is announced and presented in the following year.
“….NY-based composer” would be a more accurate, but less dramatic headline
looks like her birthday is being celebrated in Scandinavia with whole concerts of her music; not so much of her music scheduled for the UK though
In the UK, all attention went to the queen’s ‘Trooping the colour’ which provides so much more fun, especially for the queen.
Indeed she is only interested in things equestrian, as Prince Philip once remarked, during their 1986 tour of China, “If it doesn’t fart or eat hay then she isn’t interested”.
This does explain E’s sudden 1963 fling with William Courtenay, 15th Earl of Westmorland, who had a reputation of excentricity.
Quite, listening to classical music is not her real pastime. As HRH Prince Philip once remarked during their 1986 tour of China, “If it doesn’t fart or eat hay, she isn’t interested”
Elizabeth I on the other hand was fluent in latin, could play the lute and Virginal and liked Tallis and Byrd.
I knew there was something about Elizabeth I that I didn’t like.
There are quite a few more UK concerts of her works including at the Proms and the Edinburgh Festival. You can find them here and on the following page –
http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/performances/Thea-Musgrave/10/2
What a farce!
What a pointless comment.
Musgrave writes music at the edge of the real:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHPAZyWGphE
I think this is quite beautiful.
NY composer? Does living in NYC for the 3 years (of 90!) make her a NY composer? Your impersonal and often inaccurate headlines have always bothered me. Bring more humanity into your reporting, please. A love and respect for the people is sorely missing. It’s felt by so many of your readers.
She refers to herself as someone who is living in NY. Hence the headline.
Naah, this is the TMZ of classical celebritydom. Let’s just say she lives in The Bronx.
She certainly deserves some public honor and recognition.
Don’t say you love me Mam; just send money!