Nadia Boulanger

• Born: September 16, 1887
• Died: October 22, 1979
• Genres: Classical
• Instrument: Conductor

Biography

Boulanger came from a musical family that included her grandmother, mezzo-soprano Marie-Julie, her father, composer and violin professor Ernest-Henri-Alexandre and her sister Lili, a composer. She studied at the Paris Conservatoire and won the second Prix de Rome in 1908 for her composition La Sirène. Her contributions as a conductor included a revival of the madrigals of Monteverdi, performing and recording them during the years between the wars. She also led the way in performing French Baroque and Rennaissance music. Boulanger conducted a Royal Philharmonic Society concert in 1937, the first such performance by a woman. She was a widely respected teacher and held positions at the Ecole Normale, the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, the Paris Conservatoire, Wellesley College, Radcliffe and the Juilliard School. Her teaching focused on the methods of counterpoint and musical analysis. Her impressive student list included Copland, Piston and Spisak. ~ Lynn Vought, All Music Guide