This educational video provides a snapshot of history, exploring why so few female composers have attained the status as seminal composers that they deserve. Beginning with a historical survey of prominent female rulers and artists stemming back to the Middle Ages, this episode focuses on the lives and works of Louise Farrenc, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, Clara Schumann, Cécile Chaminade, Mel Bonis, and Amy Beach.

2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th United States constitutional amendment, and the works of female composers are a central theme of the 2020 Manchester Music Festival.

This educational video delves into sonata form, the musical structure that underpins so many of the chamber works programmed at the Manchester Music Festival. Geared toward music lovers who do not possess prior musical training, this episode elucidates not only the structure itself but the rationale behind it, allowing for greater comprehension and enhanced appreciation of large-scale compositions.

Artistic director and host, Adam Neiman, narrates and plays excerpts of the Mozart Piano Sonata in F Major, K. 280, with a highlighted score accompanying the musical performance to illuminate the main structural elements of the work.

This educational video delves into the concepts of Classical and Romantic, providing historical context for the polarity of these principles reaching all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome. Oscillating patterns of music composition dovetail with history and politics and this episode aims to connect the dots across the ages.

Artistic director and host, Adam Neiman, compares and contrasts excerpts of the Mozart Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333, and Schumann's "Traümerei", demonstrating directly from the keyboard as to how these works exemplify Classical and Romantic philosophies. This episode, presented accessibly to those without musical training, also shines a light on the inner processes a musician must grapple with in order to produce a stylish and idiomatic performance.

This educational video – part of the MMF Get to Know the Music series –  delves into the life, work, and enduring legacy of Ludwig van Beethoven. 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of this great composer's birth, and his music is a central theme of the 2020 Manchester Music Festival.