Nadia Boulanger

Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) was a French pianist, composer, and teacher who was one of the most influential figures for at least three generations of composers from all over the world, especially the USA. She taught a veritable who's who list of American musicians: Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Virgil Thompson, Walter Piston, Philip Glass, Robert Russell Bennett, Burt Bacharach, and around 600 others. Ironically, she was credited with introducing American composers in the 1920's to jazz, encouraging them to use it in their own compositions.