Readers ofNotes My Life with Music will discover that few people have the energy, vision, and talent Evelyn Swensson has. The author traces her musical beginnings from Woodstock, Virginia, through her girlhood in Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee, and as a college student at Hollins College. In her fast-paced, enjoyable narrative, Evelyn recalls how she met inspirational musical personalities (like MGM star Kathryn Grayson and Broadway star Mary Martin), and icons of American music (like folk music anthologist, John Jacob ...
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Readers ofNotes My Life with Music will discover that few people have the energy, vision, and talent Evelyn Swensson has. The author traces her musical beginnings from Woodstock, Virginia, through her girlhood in Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee, and as a college student at Hollins College. In her fast-paced, enjoyable narrative, Evelyn recalls how she met inspirational musical personalities (like MGM star Kathryn Grayson and Broadway star Mary Martin), and icons of American music (like folk music anthologist, John Jacob Niles). Evelyn began her musical career producing and conducting while raising her family with her Duponter husband. Wherever she went, Mrs. Swensson produced musical waves. She describes a serendipitous encounter with Chick Laird shortly after arriving in Wilmington, Delaware and how he opened the way for her next three decades of conducting, and composing for the OperaDelaware. Evelyn s life as a musical midwife ended in 1993 when she transformed Oliver Butterworth s The Enormous Egg into a children s opera. She recounts with a wonderful collage of photographs two decades as composer working with acclaimed writers, producers, and talented young performers. During this time, she created music for and conducted many celebrated works, including Gian-Carlo Menotti s The Boy Who Grew too Fast, Norman Juster s The Phantom Tollbooth, Lucy Maud Montgomery s Anne of Green Gables."
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