A life lived in music: Nadia Boulanger, the musicians' mentor

The French composer, conductor, soloist and teacher Nadia Boulanger, pictured in the United States in 1961. © Public domain

By the time she died, 47 years ago this week, Nadia Boulanger had taught some of the 20th century’s greatest musicians. Generations of composers, conductors, performers and arrangers passed through her apartment in Paris. More than a midwife to male genius, she was an exceptional talent in her own right.

Any discussion of Nadia Boulanger typically begins with a list of famous men.