Nancy Plummer Faxon (November 19, 1914 – February 1, 2005) was an American soprano, music educator, and composer of organ music.

Early life and education

Nancy Blanton Plummer was born in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, the daughter of Walter George Plummer and Emily Blanton Plummer. She graduated from

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded in 1889–90 by a Confederate veteran, Major Reuben Webster M ...

in 1936. As a young woman she was in theatrical productions with fellow Mississippian Eudora Welty. She went on to earn master's degrees in voice and piano in 1938, at

Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. History Founding Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicago Academy of Music. The institution h ...

, where she was a student of

Rudolph Ganz Rudolph Ganz (24 February 1877 – 2 August 1972) was a Swiss-born American pianist, conductor, composer, and music educator. Career Early career as a pianist and conductor Born in Zurich, Ganz studied cello with Friedrich Hegar and piano wi ...

and Nelli Gardini. She studied composition with Max Wald."Miss Nancy Plummer and George Faxon Take Vows at St. Andrew's Church"
''Clarion Ledger'' (December 28, 1941): 15. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

Career

As a young soprano in Chicago, Nancy Plummer joined the Sorrentine Touring Opera Company in 1938 as a soloist. She also sang in the chorus of the Chicago Opera Company. From 1955 to 1980, she was a soprano in the professional choir at

Trinity Church, Boston Trinity Church in the City of Boston, located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The congregation, currently standing at approximately 4,000 households, was founded in 17 ...

. After marrying in 1941, she turned more to teaching and church work. During World War II, she taught voice in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, and worked in the music program at a Methodist church in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

. She later taught at her alma mater, Millsaps College, and at the Chaloff School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and played organ at a church in

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is located within one or more incorporated municipal entities. It is located partia ...

. Nancy Plummer Faxon was a member of American Women Composers. She wrote over a hundred choral and orchestral compositions, mostly for performance at Trinity Church. The Brookline Library Music Association gave a concert of Faxon's compositions in 1985. A CD titled ''The Music of Nancy Plummer Faxon'' (2001) was recorded by the Ralph Farris Chorale and the Madison Symphony, at the

Old South Church Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts, (also known as New Old South Church or Third Church) is a historic United Church of Christ congregation first organized in 1669. Its present building was designed in the Gothic Revival style by Charles ...

in Boston. In 1986, she was the recipient of the Orah Ashley Lamke Award from

Mu Phi Epsilon Mu Phi Epsilon () is a co-ed international professional fraternity, professional music fraternity. It has over 75,000 members in 227 collegiate chapters and 113 Alumnus/a, alumni chapters in the US and abroad. History Mu Phi Epsilon was founde ...

, as a distinguished alumna of the sorority.

Personal life

Nancy Plummer married George Faxon in 1941. They had three children. George was an organist and choirmaster, and the Faxons often collaborated on developing and presenting Nancy's compositions. She was widowed when George died in 1992. Nancy Plummer Faxon died from leukemia in 2005, age 90, at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston.Tom Long, "Nancy Plummer Faxon, Classical Composer, 90" ''Boston Globe'' (February 5, 2005).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faxon, Nancy Plummer 1914 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American composers American women composers Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi American sopranos Singers from Mississippi Millsaps College alumni Millsaps College faculty Chicago Musical College alumni American organists Women organists 20th-century American singers 20th-century organists Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts 20th-century American women singers 20th-century women composers