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Have you ever heard of the composer Ina Boyle? I was unfamiliar with her music until JoAnn Falletta introduced us to her in a recent edition of JoAnn’s Classical Corner on WNED. Ina (pronounced “EE-nah”) was a 20th-century Irish composer. You could compare her impact on Irish Classical music to that of Amy Beach's influence in America. Boyle was the most prolific female Irish Composer before 1950.
Ina grew up in a fairly sheltered home, but there was much music in the house. Her father was her first music teacher. As a young woman, she was able to study composition in England with none other than Ralph Vaughan Williams. Because of her relatively isolated life, her music was not often heard. That never stopped Ina from composing. She wrote music all her life, and gave the world an opera, several songs and choral works, chamber music, ballets, and a couple of symphonies.
While many of us may be unfamiliar with her work, there are those diligently trying to change that at the Ina Boyle Society, an organization dedicated to letting the world know about the life and music of this hidden gem. We invite you to discover the music of Ina Boyle with us in March, as we celebrate Women’s History Month on WNED Classical.