Rediscovered Voices: Women Composers from the Soviet Republics

Presented in conjunction with The Beast of Joy: Women Artists from Soviet Republics, the program highlights overlooked musical voices whose work paralleled the experimental and nonconformist artistic practices of the late Soviet period. Presented by musicologists Oksana Nesterenko and Leah Batstone the event explores the creative contributions of women composers from the Soviet Union, expanding the exhibition’s exploration of artistic expression beyond the visual arts.

The Beast of Joy highlights artists from Ukraine, the Baltic states, the Caucasus, and Central Asia working in the Soviet Union during the 1970s and 1980s. Drawn entirely from the Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection, it foregrounds women’s vital contributions to Soviet nonconformist art.

The program begins with a curator-led tour, followed by a poetry performance highlighting the voices of women poets whose work emerged alongside that of the women artists represented in the exhibition. A light reception follows.

Visit the event page on our calendar for all details, including parking information.

Free & open to the public. RSVP is highly recommended to guarantee a seat.

You might also be interested in Rediscovered Voices: Women Poets from the Soviet Republics on October 8!

Image Detail: Aili Vint, Composition squared II, 1977. Gouache on paper. Collections Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers-New Brunswick. Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union.