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Women in Music

News | 02.06.2015
Lauren Pelon
Lauren Pelon

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College celebrates National Women’s History Month through music. Internationally acclaimed musician Lauren Pelon will appear in concert at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Cecilian Auditorium March 26, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. The concert celebrates music written by, or for, women.  Titled, “Women in Music: Someone Will Remember Us,” Pelon traces the story of women in music and performs music from around the world.

Crossing the boundaries of time, distance and culture, Pelon sings and plays approximately 25 ancient and modern instruments – some of which were traditionally played by women, some forbidden to women. She plays the lute, lyre, hurdy-gurdy, recorders, gemshorn, pennywhistles, ocarina, Kiowa courting flute, eagle bone flute, cornamuse, krummhorn, schreierpfeife, shawm, rackett, concertina, electric wind instrument and MIDI-pedalboard. Pelon melds original compositions with her arrangements of music from ancient Greece, medieval Europe, and contemporary Africa, America and Estonia.  While she is noted for her versatile use of a diverse array of instruments, she also received recognition as a vocalist and for her compelling compositions and arrangements of music from many countries and cultures. 

SMWC Professor of Music Therapy and Music and Theatre Department Chair, Tracy Richardson, Ph.D., said, “Music is a natural way for people to tell their stories and to communicate feelings, thoughts, hopes, and fears. This program provides a unique opportunity to learn about the role of women in music throughout history and in a variety of cultures and contexts.”

Pelon has performed throughout the U.S. and in Australia, Canada, China, England, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Russia, Scotland and New Zealand. She performed with symphony orchestras, The Philadelphia String Quartet, on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” and at the Russian Institute for the History of the Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Pelon was the recipient of the 2001 Artist of the Year award from The Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.  She received a 2010 Artist Initiative Award and 2014 Arts Tour Minnesota Grant Award from the Minnesota State Arts Board.

Women’s History Month is a national celebration that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and modern society. It is celebrated annually during March.

For information, call (812) 535-6211 or email SMWCPerformingArts@smwc.edu. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online.

Ticket Information:

$10 general admission
Free to SMWC students, faculty, and staff with SMWC ID, Sisters of Providence.
Free to students from Harrison College, Indiana State University, Ivy Tech and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with student ID.