Barbara Harbach

Barbara Harbach is a composer, harpsichordist, organist and teacher. Since 2004, she has been Professor of Music at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Background and appointments

Barbara Harbach studied at Penn State (BA) and Yale (MMA) universities and obtained her doctorate from the Eastman School of Music. She also studied at the Musikhochschule in Frankfurt, Germany with Helmut Walcha, although her relationship with Walcha was difficult as he "did not believe that women belonged on the organ bench". [http://www.iawm.org/articles_html/libby_barbara_harbach.html "From Bach to Vivace Press: The Metamorphosis of Barbara Harbach"(Cynthia Green Libby) IAWM Journal (2006) (accessed 13 March 2007)]

In 2002, she received an honorary doctorate of music degree from Wilmington College, Wilmington, Ohio.

Before her appointment at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, she was Professor of Music at Washington State University from 1991 to 1997, Visiting Professor of Music at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh from 1997 to 2000 and Visiting Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point from 2000 to 2003.

Public performances

Harbach has given organ and harpsichord recitals in North America, Asia, Europe and also in Siberia. She presented a weekly television music series, "Palouse Performance", broadcast in the North-Western region of the United States. She has also made numerous recordings of organ and harpsichord music. When reviewing one of her Bach recordings in May/June 1988, the American Record Guide said that "She deserves to be recognized as one of the eminent Bach players among organists of the present day, in both the United States and in Europe."

Publications and compositions

Her first published composition was "Praise Him with the Trumpet" for choir and organ, published in 1977. Her compositions include works for symphony orchestra, string orchestra, organ, harpsichord, choir and chamber ensemble. She has also arranged Baroque pieces for brass and organ. She has written two symphonies: "Veneration for Orchestra" (first performed in 2004 at Wilmington College, Ohio) and "One of Ours – a Cather Symphony" (first performed by the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra).

In 1989, Harbach founded Vivace Press, a music publishing company specialising in works by women and other traditionally under-represented composers. She produces performing editions of 18th-century keyboard music. She has been the editor of "Women of Note Quarterly" since 2003.

References

External links

* [http://www.iawm.org/articles_html/libby_barbara_harbach.html International Alliance for Women in Music Journal article, 2006, including discography and list of publications (accessed 13 March 2007)]
* [http://www.umsl.edu/~harbachb/home.htm Harbach's university home page (accessed 13 March 2007)]
* [http://www.uwsp.edu/news/pr/scBHarbach.htm University press release on award of honorary doctorate (accessed 13 March 2007)]