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Vahdah Olcott Bickford fostered, promoted, and enriched classical guitar culture in America during the twentieth century. Even before being appointed the American Guitar Society's (AGS) musical director in 1923, Olcott Bickford had established a name as a performer, arranger, and columnist. These credentials served as a stepping stone for her decisive role in shaping the artistic direction of AGS's music publications, concert schedule, and orchestra repertoire.
Part 1 of this article narrated the historical role women played in the formation of the first guitar society in America, highlighting how they paved the way for the institutionalization of the classical guitar. Part 2 delves into Olcott Bickford's career, her life tenure as AGS's musical director, and her endeavors running AGS's day-to-day operations and finances.
As foregrounded in part 1, gender will continue to be at the core of part 2. Through my study of the institutionalization of the classical guitar, I noticed that women were pioneering figures who held power and creative control, but they primarily fostered a male-dominated canon as in other fine arts disciplines in America. This is a critique formulated through the lens of twenty-first century values, but its importance is linked to a present need to address the lack of gender equity in our field and the patterns that have been repeated for the last century. Now, when looking at Olcott Bickford's repertoire and programming choices, it would be ahistorical to omit her early but limited attempts to include works by women composers and to promote women guitarists.
The American Guitar Society Ensemble
From its inception, AGS was tailored to follow in the steps of the Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar (BMG) clubs and their tradition of ensemble music making, but it did so by ushering in a more progressive era. Recruitment letters sent in AGS's early days indicate that one of the many perks of being an AGS member was participation, regardless of gender, in its newly formed guitar ensemble, which began rehearsing on October 11, 1923.1 The ensemble was directed by Olcott Bickford, who selected the repertoire, arranged, transcribed, and copied the parts, and directed all rehearsals and performances. By 1923, Olcott Bickford was a seasoned player and had experience both as a teacher and an ensemble director.2 Her appointment as...