Composer Nina Siniakova
The Melodia Women’s Choir will perform the world premiere of Nina Siniakova’s From the Four Winds at their spring concerts this Sunday, April 14 at 4 p.m. at West End Collegiate Church, 245 West 77th Street, and next Saturday, April 20 at 8 p.m. at Holy Apostles Church, 296 Ninth Avenue in New York. In addition to Siniakova’s piece, the concerts will include past season favorites by Eleanor Daley, Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy, and more. Tickets can be purchased online ($20 general; $15 students & seniors) or at the door ($25).
As a winner of Melodia’s biennial Women Composers Competition, Nina Siniakova received a $2,000 commission to compose a new work for the choir. Inspired by the number four, Siniakova composed From the Four Winds for women’s voices and four French horns.
As a Belarusian-American composer who was born and raised in Minsk, Siniakova’s style is reminiscent of others from her part of the world – Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, Polish composer Witold Lutosławski, and Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. Her work also reflects influences from folkloric traditions and jazz trends. You can hear samples of her work on SoundCloud or watch her perform on YouTube.
Genghis Barbie will perform at the Melodia Spring Concert
The instrumental parts of From the Four Winds will be played by the virtuoso French horn ensemble Genghis Barbie, who describe themselves as “the leading post post-feminist feminist all-female horn experience.”
The four members of Genghis Barbie – Danielle Kuhlmann (Velvet Barbie), Alana Vegter (Freedom Barbie), Rachel Drehmann (Atilla the Horn), and Leelanee Sterrett (Cosmic Barbie) – perform in a variety of styles and are active in New York’s classical/pop/rock/jazz/indie/alternative/punk/electro-acoustic scene.
As educators, they have toured numerous universities, presenting workshops, masterclasses and lectures on musical entrepreneurship. They have released three albums which are available in their online store, Genghis Barbie; Genghis Barbie: Home for the Holidays; and Genghis Baby – Songs for Noa. You can also watch their videos on YouTube.
Founded by Executive Director Jenny Clarke and conducted by Artistic Director Cynthia Powell, Melodia Women’s Choir is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. The choir performs classical and contemporary works, and incorporates new works by living composers in their programs. On their website, you can listen to audio recordings of their songs or watch a video of a recent performance. They have many additional videos on YouTube.