Originally from Auckland, New Zealand, Hester Bell Jordan is in the fourth year of her PhD in Musicology with a concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies. Before coming to McGill, Hester received a Master of Music in musicology (2015) and Bachelor of Music in violin performance (2013) from the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington, New Zealand.
As a finalist in last year's Research Alive Student Prize, Hester will present her research on February 6th at 5pm in Tanna Schulich Hall (find out more). This event is free admission, and will also be webcast live on our  for those not based in Montreal.
Hester's presentation on February 6th will also feature a performance by Gili Loftus, an award-winning keyboardist with expertise on the fortepiano, modern piano, and harpsichord. She has performed and lectured throughout North America, Europe, and Israel, in addition to having her work featured in The New York Times and Keyboard Perspectives.
What made you choose McGill for your studies?
I was drawn to both the calibre of the faculty at the Schulich School of Music and the special features of the musicology program like the Graduate Option in Gender and Women’s Studies.
How has being a McGill student influenced you and your research?
It’s introduced me to a great community of graduate students, given me access to fantastic resources for research, and allows me to live in a vibrant and affordable city.
Explain your research in three sentences or less:
My doctoral research explores gender and labour in women-led music business in Europe around 1800. More specifically, I research the lives and business activities of the Viennese piano-maker Nannette Streicher Stein and the sisters Marie-Françoise Marcoux Bonnemaison and Catherine-Barbe Marcoux Delahante of the Mlles Erard music publishing company in Paris.
What led you to this particular topic?
I’ve been interested in women’s history and feminism since I was a teenager and I wrote my master’s thesis on women violinists, so I already knew that I wanted to focus on a topic in this area. I discovered Nannette Streicher Stein and the Marcoux sisters through my supervisor, Tom Beghin, whose work on Beethoven drew my attention to these historical figures.
How does your research add to what was already known?
When we think about women in music in the nineteenth century we tend to focus on performers, composers, and patrons. My research draws attention to forms of work that women did—making pianos, publishing music, and running businesses—but for which they haven’t always been acknowledged. There also isn’t a lot of research on women like the Marcoux sisters, so my work helps bring their stories to light again.
What are your next steps?
My next step is to submit my thesis proposal and then travel to Paris and Vienna this summer to do archival research.
What advice would you give to new students in your program?
Put time and thought into figuring out good working habits that also let you take proper care of yourself!
Where is your favourite place to study?
A quiet room in the Music Library, preferably with some tea in hand.
Where in Montreal can you be found on a day off?
Definitely getting a pastry somewhere—my favourite bakeries are Boulangerie Guillaume on St-Laurent and La Fabrique Arhoma on Ontario.
What is your earliest musical memory?
My Dad singing lullabies.
What are you reading at the moment?
Swann’s Way by Proust and Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett.
If you were offered a return plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Honestly, probably home to New Zealand! I haven’t been back since 2017 and I’d like to see my family and friends and do a road trip around the South Island.
