Nelly Bly Project Premiere

Boshnack has created a work in four movements highlighting stages and elements of Bly’s personality and career:  “Early Years” establishing her voice – combining elements of punky irreverence, with a yearning to deeply understand the human experience and its unfairness; “Asylum Expose” exploring her extreme efforts to write about the atrocities of a mental asylum; and “Around the World” tackling her race around the globe to beat Jules Verne’s fictional record, while the world cheered her on.  The piece concludes with “Lasting Legacy” – an homage to Bly and the impact she made to those who came after her.  Boshnack combines exploration of Bly’s life with propulsion from her words, incorporating quotes and segments from her books as spoken and sung elements within the suite. In addition to the music-based work, Boshnack hopes this concert will be an opportunity to educate the public about the life of this impactful, yet mostly unknown, iconoclast.