March 9, 2017, by Charlotte Anscombe

Marking International Women’s Day with music

Dr Xenia Pestova, Director of Performance in the University’s School of Music, helped to mark International Women’s Day with a performance in London for BBC Radio 3.

The ‘Open Ear’ concert highlighted music by female composers to mark international Women’s Day.

Pestova’s performance featured pieces written especially for her to play on piano and toy piano by UK-based composers Nicola LeFanu (UK premiere), Ailis Ni Riain (world premiere), Egidija Medeksaite and Arlene Sierra.

The live recording from St John-at-Hackney can be found here – together with an interview (found at 1:26: 45)with Xenia Pestova by presenter Sara Mohr-Pietsch.

Pestova says: “I am delighted to be featured in this very important event and share fantastic music by wonderful composers with a wider audience. It’s time that broadcasters and presenters took a stand on gender equality by including more music written by women. We are finally starting to see a real shift in mentality, and it’s great that concert and festival programmes are starting to move towards a more representative balance.”

Pestova is currently on research leave and keeping a busy schedule. Following a recent performance at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall with music by Nottingham students and staff (director of composition Dr Elizabeth Kelly), Pestova has upcoming engagements at Iklectik Art Lab in London on March 18, London’s iconic concert series “Daylight Music” at the Union Chapel on April 1, and a tour of New Zealand in July and August.

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