Notes: My Life With Music

Few people have the energy, vision, or talent that Evelyn Swensson has. Married at age 20, she passed up an opportunity to attend the Juilliard School of Music to raise a family. But when her children went to college, she followed them. Attending nearby West Chester University, she then earned an MA in music in three years and successfully resumed her career. Over the next three decades, she sang, conducted, and composed. She completed her musical career having written a dozen children’s operas, which have been performed thousands of times in the United States and abroad. While her personal accomplishments are extraordinary, the most remarkable feature of this picture-filled memoir are the notes in its concluding segment. These have been sent by the stars (now grown) of her operas. Some achieved stardom on a national stage, while some are building promising careers. Others have become scientists and professionals, while others still are in college. They all share a love and admiration for their mentor, who instilled her love of music in these remarkable members of a new generation.