Hilary Purrington wins Melodia Women's Choir Competition
The Melodia Women's Choir of New York named Hilary Purrington '17 MMA this year's winner of their Women Composers Commission Competition. Purrington, a composer and vocalist, has composed a work entitled Cassandra, scored for choir, percussion, and piano.
The work is inspired by the priestess Cassandra, the beautiful and tragic figure from Greek mythology who is bestowed the gift of prophecy. "As a female composer writing for a women’s choir, I found it fitting to create a work that tells a story about an extraordinary woman," Purrington writes. "Cassandra was one of the most beautiful women in the world, a priestess with the gift of prophecy, but cursed by Apollo for refusing him so that no one believed her wisdom. I like to imagine her as formidably intelligent and outspoken, an extraordinary woman, millennia ahead of her time."
Melodia will perform on May 14, 2016 on their upcoming program "Cassandra: Myths and Stories in Song. The concert will take place at West End Collegiate Church in New York City.
