01.30.10 - Dr. Janet Pollack, Colorado State University assistant professor of musicology, will be a keynote speaker at the joint Queen Elizabeth I Society/South-Central Renaissance Society national conference in Corpus Christie, TX, on March 18-20, 2010. Dr. Pollack will speak on “Anne Boleyn: Women, Music, and Gender Politics at the Tudor Court.”

Last summer, Dr. Pollack was invited to present her research on Anne Boleyn at Hampton Court Palace, London, as part of the 500th anniversary of King Henry VIII’s accession to the throne of England gala celebrations and conference. The president of the Queen Elizabeth I Society, Dr. Carol Levin, professor of history at the University of Nebraska, heard Pollack's presentation, and extended the invitation to speak at the upcoming joint conference in March.

Dr. Pollack focuses on Anne’s impact on political life at court via her many charms, especially the well-documented responses to her musical abilities. It is interesting to note that Elizabeth is known for her musical accomplishments and is often shown posed with a lute.

The bulk of Pollack's research uncovers the extent of the royals' musical education and abilities through firsthand accounts and surviving musical manuscripts. Dr. Pollack's interest in the subject began some years ago when she published the essay “Anne Boleyn as Composer?” which was included in the New Historical Anthology of Women and Music which is the chief anthology of women musicians used in universities across the country. Last summer Pollack had the opportunity to expand her research at the British Library and will include new findings in her presentation at the national conference in March.

For more information on the Queen Elizabeth I Society/South-Central Renaissance Society conference click here.