Mishka Rushdie Momen: Celebrating Clara Schumann

The contemporary chamber pianist honors a Romantic-era musical icon and the primacy of female composers.* 

When people hear the name Schumann, they most often think of prolific composer and pianist Robert Schumann. But his wife, Clara, who would have celebrated her 200th birthday this September, was one of the most distinguished pianists of her time, and an accomplished composer. The fact that her acclaim was—and remains—situated around her husband’s success attests to the lack of female representation in the world of composition, which persists to this day.

In honor of Clara Schumann’s legacy—both her musical contributions and the path she paved for future generations of female musicians—Mishka Rushdie Momen presents a program that includes works by Schumann, as well as world premieres by Vijay Iyer and Nico Muhly which Momen commissioned in the same manner that Robert and Clara Schumann commissioned work by Brahms and Mendelssohn. 

Following her performance, Rushdie will be joined by two composers, 2019 Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Reid and Grammy nominee Missy Mazzoli, for a conversation about representation in composition today, and Luna Composition Lab, a mentorship program and support network for female-identifying composers ages 13–19, which the two co-founded. Jonathan Hiam, the Library for the Performing Arts' curator of Music and Recorded Sound, will moderate. The evening will also include a one-night-only display of items from the collections at the Library for the Performing Arts that speak to the life and work of Clara Schumann.

*Please note that this special production of LIVE from the NYPL will take place at The Library For the Performing Arts.

FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED
For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form one hour before the program.

If you need assistance with online reservations, please visit the welcome desk at the Library for the Performing Arts' Lincoln Center Plaza entrance, where volunteers will make a reservation for you, even if you do not use email. 

PRESS 
Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc.) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Sara Beth Joren at sarabethjoren@nypl.org.

For all other inquiries, please contact publicprograms@nypl.org.

ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing accessibility@nypl.org.

Mishka Rushdie Momen © Benjamin Ealovega