About The ERA Project
The ERA Project has been a labor of love for me since 2015. It is a set of six songs for soprano with piano accompaniment about the history and progress of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the US Constitution. I wrote the lyrics for songs 2 - 6 (borrowing text from suffrage Carrie Chapman Catt for the opening song), which composer Rain Nox set,beautifully, to music.
Interspersed with the songs is a 20 minute presentation with slides and information about the history of the ERA.
Song #1 sets the scene with words from a celebratory speech given by Carrie Chapman Catt following the passage of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920.
The other songs tell the story of the ERA, which was drafted by Alice Paul and introduced to Congress in 1923. My grandmother, Cecil Norton Broy, joined Paul in this fight for equality acting as the Political Chairman of the National Women’s Party, a role she in which she served for 20 years.
Between the songs and the presentation, audiences learn about this ongoing fight for an Amendment in our Constitution granting women equality under the law.
Perfomances of The ERA Project
August 23,2020 Recording presented on-line hosted by The Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument in Washington D.C. with Keith Weber, pianist.
May 21, 2022 Live performance at The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bend, Oregon with Meagan Iverson, pianist.
May 19 & 20, 2023 Live performances at The Rosette Theatre in Austin, Texas sponsored by LOLA with Jeanne Sasaki, pianist. Artwork by The Artists for the ERA was also displayed for both performances.
July 29, 2023 Live performance at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Harford County in Churchville, MD sponsored by the UWAA with Lior Willinger, pianist.
Upcoming performance on March 4, 2024 at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio with Jeanne Sasaki, pianist.
Contact me to discuss scheduling a performance of The ERA Project