Pioneer and romantic

Louise Farrenc managed to carve out a place for herself in a profoundly male world. Supported by her husband in her artistic ambitions and supported by the prestige of the Paris Conservatory, where she taught, she was one of the very few women to have one of their symphonies performed publicly in nineteenth-century France. Furthermore, her chamber music output received official recognition, at a time when female composition was considered a low-profile undertaking: the Académie des Beaux-Arts awarded her the prestigious Prix Chartier twice (in 1861 and 1869). Mihaela Costea, Silvia Chiesa, and Linda Di Carlo demonstrate that these honors were no fluke.