Lied the Way is a community of female pianists, singers, and duos inspired by the art song repertoire — its practice, performance, and relevance in today’s society.
We believe that the art song repertoire in its intimacy, richness, and diversity offers a broad spectrum of artistic expression yet to be explored. The future of art song lies in committed performers who are willing to present the form in new avenues and mediums to engage audiences. Because of this, Lied the Way is invested in connecting and empowering women to find and commit to their unique artistic voice, as well as supporting the innovative projects they envision.
We believe in a holistic view of each artist built on three tenants: well-being, craft, and career. To function as an artist, each woman needs to attend to both her inner and outer world, finding a balance in order to bring the music — and her career — to life.
We are pianists, artists, musicians, creatives, mothers, entrepreneurs.
We are women. We Lied the Way.
Why “Lied the Way”?
In 2021, the pianist Elenora Pertz founded Lied the Way to raise awareness of the glass ceiling for female song pianists. Similar to other realms in the classical music industry, classical song performance suffers from an underrepresentation of female pianists at the highest level. At the conservatories, masterclasses and competitions, there are just as many if not more talented and driven female song pianists as male; yet those who have gone on to have successful performing and teaching careers throughout Europe and the USA have remained predominately male. No one has provided an adequate explanation as to why this has been the case, despite having often been questioned.
While there have been many initiatives within the classical musical industry to raise awareness and invest in the future for women in fields such as conducting and composing, Lied the Way was the first initiative to connect female pianists within the industry and help them acquire the necessary tools to bring their artistic visions to life. Since then, there have luckily been various institutions and festivals that have risen awareness for the lack of song pianists, and many young female song pianists begin to have promising careers. We are thrilled that our original mission has been recognized and change is beginning to take place in the song industry.
As with all living, breathing systems, Lied the Way continues to evolve and now includes female singers into its community. In this new phase of the organization, we are focusing on the dynamics behind female collaboration, and how women can support one another in achieving their personal and professional goals. As opposed to just filling gender quotas, Lied the Way looks at the structures within the classical music industry, and how we can shape these to be more sustainable and inclusive of women— including how to incorporate feminine rhythms, values, and strengths into the classical musical music world.
Meet the Team
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Elenora Pertz
FOUNDER and ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Elenora Pertz is a pioneer in the field of collaborative piano. She has performed on stages such as Wigmore Hall, Berlin Philharmonic, and Festspielhaus Baden Baden and recorded for labels such as Hännsler Classic and Brecords. Since the Winter semester of 2023 she has her own Art Song class at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen and teaches a seminar on creativity for the singers at the Universität der Künste Berlin. Her biggest take-away from the workshops has been to see what women are capable of creating when put into a supportive and nourishing environment.
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Emily Hehl
PROJECT MANAGER
Emily Hehl is a stage director and musician. In Brussels, she collaborates with Needcompany in all areas of the performative arts, and her opera productions can be seen on stages such as Aalto-Theater Essen and Oper Dortmund. In her artistic work, she is creating equally with soloists, choirs and musicians. At the core of the Lied the Way community is for her to experience how the workshops can empower women to create their own projects and forms whilst pushing the boundaries of the Art Song field.
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Anna Brashear
ASSISTANT to the ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Anna Brashear is a marketing professional with a love for the arts and music. Next to her work in a female health startup along with marketing roles in other tech companies, she has sung in the Humboldt Chamber Choir for the past 6 years. Her favorite aspects of Lied the Way are seeing women grow stronger in their leadership, personal development, and collaboration skills.