Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) is fondly remembered as being a leading French composer, conductor and pedagogue of the 20th century. Her pupil list over her teaching years include the likes of Daniel Barenboim, Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, Quincy Jones and Astor Piazzolla. Across her huge career, Boulanger worked in a number of the top teaching institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music, Juilliard School, Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music, but her base was always in Paris, France. As well as being a sought-after teacher, Boulanger was also the first woman to conduct some of the major orchestras across the world including The Hallé, BBC Symphony and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Especially during her younger years, Boulanger was a keen composer and many of her works were premiered by top musicians around the world. Her 3 Pieces for Cello & Piano was originally written for organ in 1911, but was transcribed for cello in 1914 by the composer. Now, the cello version is much more widely-performed.
