Northeastern University visiting artist Virginia Eskin was honored for her radio documentary series, titled “First Ladies in Music with Virginia Eskin” with the Clarion Award by the Association of Women in Communications. Eskin created and hosted the series and shares this award with the series’ producer WFMT Radio Network in Chicago, and its sponsor Northeastern University.

First Ladies is a 13-week, one-hour series that tells the history of women in music. “It was created to fill a void that exists on women composers,” said Eskin, an accomplished pianist. “The series starts with Sappho, ends with Bjork – two incredible women – and covers about 1,000 years of music history.”

The series has been heard so far on over 100 stations in the United States and internationally. Eskin hopes to create a sequel to the program focusing on female performers, conductors and patrons.

“We want to excite and inform the listener through the use of stories, rare recordings and musical examples from the piano,” added Eskin.

In its 35th year, the Clarion Awards recognize small business, large corporate, non-profit, agency and government communication specialists nationwide who demonstrate excellence in clear and concise communications.

The award will be presented at the Association of Women in Communications annual conference in Orlando, FL on October 4-6, 2007.

About Virginia Eskin

Eskin’s concerto appearances include the Annapolis, Buffalo, Louisville, New Hampshire, Rochester, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Utah Symphony Orchestras, the Boston Classical, the Israel Sinfonietta, and the Boston Pops. She has also performed as a soloist with the New York City and Boston Ballet Companies, and at New York’s Morgan Library in New York. She currently holds the appointment of Visiting Artist at Northeastern’s Department of Music, and received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Keene State College (NH) to recognize her contributions to women’s music.

For more information about the artist and her upcoming performances, please visit Virginia Eskin’s Web site at www.virginiaeskin.com or contact Renata Nyul at 617-373-7424 or r.nyul@neu.edu.

About Northeastern

Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in the heart of Boston. Northeastern is a leader in interdisciplinary research, urban engagement, and the integration of classroom learning with real-world experience. The university’s distinctive cooperative education program, where students alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, is one of the largest and most innovative in the world. The University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in six undergraduate colleges, eight graduate schools, and two part-time divisions. For more information, please visit www.neu.edu.