The Elfrida Andrée Project

NEFP provided funding to the Boston University Orchestral Program for this project.

Elfrida Andrée earned international acclaim in her native Sweden as an organist, conductor, and composer, and is increasingly recognized as a pioneer for women's rights. Despite this, her music remains underperformed and her story largely unknown. Andrée's Suffrage Cantata is of particular historical importance — a rare and early example of a major choir-orchestra work written by and for women to promote themes of collaboration, equality, and justice in the face of oppression.

Led by Sarah Ioannides, Director of Orchestral Activities and Associate Professor in Orchestral Conducting, Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Music is presenting a panel discussion, a concert, and a world-premiere recording of Andrée's works in collaboration with Dr. Daniel Parsley, Dr. Jonathan Spatola-Knoll, The Women's Philharmonic Advocacy, the Swedish Women's Educational Association, Boston University's Anna Howard Shaw Center, and NEFP.

Breaking Barriers: Creativity, Identity, and Social Change
A panel discussion featuring Sarah Ioannides, Dr. Jonathan Spatola-Knoll, Dr. Stephanie Brody, Dr. Liane Curtis, and Dr. Choi Hee An, moderated by Leland Clarke.
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 — 5pm reception, 5:30pm panel
Howard Thurman Center, Room 104
Free and open to the public

Suffrage Cantata and Other Works for Orchestra and Voice
Boston University Symphony Orchestra & Treble Choirs, conducted by Sarah Ioannides, with Swedish-American soprano Kristine Nowlain, performing U.S., East Coast, and world premieres culminating in Andrée's Suffrage Cantata (1911).
Monday, November 9, 2026 — 7:30pm
Tsai Performance Center
Free and open to the public

The performances precede a world-premiere recording of Andrée's works, produced in collaboration with GRAMMY Award-winning PARMA Recordings.