Gena Branscombe

Gena Branscombe (4 November 1881 – 26 July 1977) was a Canadian pianist, composer, music educator, and choir conductor who lived and worked in the United States. Early life and education Gena Branscombe was born 4 November 1881 in Picton, Ontario. She began studying piano and harmony with local teachers, and her musical talent was apparent from an early age. She was also very skilled in improvisation and sight reading. Gena entered high school at age eleven and graduated at fifteen, and she decided to pursue a music degree in college. Branscombe was accepted to the Chicago Musical College, and moved there with her mother in 1896. While enrolled at the institution, she received the Gold Medal in Composition in 1901 and 1902. During her degree, she studied piano with Rudolph Ganz, a Swiss pianist, composer, and conductor. Her composition lessons were with Felix Borowski, who imparted his deep appreciation of the rich, lush and complex harmonies of the German Romantic era unto Branscombe’s writing style. Career Resigning her position at the Chicago Musical College in 1907, Branscombe became head of the piano department at Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington. This move was prompte