In recital, Hollow gives voice to women

The challenge of ensuring that music by (and about) women takes its rightful place on concert programs isn’t getting any less acute. In a world of classical music that so often begins and ends with the efforts of white men, living and dead, every push in the other direction makes a valuable contribution.

Soprano Chelsea Hollow shows how it’s done with her new recital program, titled “Voice for the Voiceless.” Accompanied by pianist and composer Sophie Xuefei Zhang, she’ll perform three world premieres, by Zhang, Berkeley composer Margaret Martin and Niloufar Nourbakhsh.

The remainder of the program is a wonderfully eclectic collection of works on feminist themes, along with cabaret songs by “Ma” Rainey, Kurt Weill and Edith Piaf.

Kersh Branz