This paper aims to analyze the presence of female performers in the salons of cultural associations in late 19th-century Granada. To this end, I will focus on the activity of the Escuela de Música para Señoritas (School of Music for Young Ladies) of the Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País (Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Country) of Granada which provided musical education exclusively for women, ranging from ornamental instruction to professional preparation over the span of more than fifty years. Its establishment in 1891 served as a true catalyst for the city’s cultural and musical life and laid the groundwork for the future Music Conservatory (established in 1921), whose initial teaching staff was highly feminized, with many of its female teachers having received their training at this school. The Escuela also had a significant influence on the city’s main cultural venues, where its students, especially pianists, performed in evenings and cultural events both during their training and later, as former students who were able to pursue musical careers. Through archival documents and local press, it is possible to trace these women’s activity as performers in the salons of the Real Sociedad Económica and the Centro Artístico y Literario, two of the city’s main cultural associations at the turn of the century. Additionally, their concert activity can be analyzed in other, less conventional venues, such as the salon of the Cámara de Comercio and the salon of the City Council. By applying theoretical frameworks from musicology and gender studies, the presence of women as performers, the repertoires they interpreted, their social impact and visibility, and how their concert activity contributed to advancing their professional musical careers as performers and music educators will be explored.
