The Helen Hopekirk Project

Helen Hopekirk Collection,
Library of Congress,
Washington D.C.

Helen Hopekirk (1856-1945) was a distinguished Scottish-American pianist, composer, and pedagogue in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Over the six decades of her professional career, Hopekirk concertized widely in Europe and the United States, performing in prestigious venues such as Steinway Hall in New York, the Crystal Palace in London, and Salle Pleyel in Paris. Also a dedicated teacher, Hopekirk joined the piano faculty at the New England Conservatory in Boston in 1897, where she taught for four years before transitioning to private teaching in Boston. In addition to her performing and teaching, Hopekirk devoted significant attention to composition and produced a substantial body of work in both large- and small-scale genres. Hopekirk is now counted among the first generation of professional American female composers.




Resources:

Scores:
New publications of Hopekirk’s music to be announced soon! In the meantime, selected scores may be found on IMSLP.

Research:
A Stylistic and Performance Analysis of Selected Solo Piano Works by Helen Hopekirk
(DMA dissertation by Hannah Roberts)
Biographical Sketch of Helen Hopekirk (By Gary Steigerwalt and Dana Muller)

Recordings:


Questions?
Please reach out via the Contact page on this website. I’d love to answer your questions on Hopekirk or share more information!