Description
A cultural biography of Dene Denny & Hazel Watrous. The visionary California women who brought music and harmony to their community and the world.
Carmel-by-the-sea, a little town on the California coast, became one of the artistic hot sports of the West because two extraordinary women paid a visit in the 1920s and never left.
In a man’s world, and in the dark years of the Great Depression, Dene Denny and Hazel Watrous founded and ran the Carmel Music Society, the Carmel Bach Festival, and a successful repertory theater in Monterey; produced and booked a major concert series in San Jose for two decades; and designed Carmel’s first art gallery and three dozen of its early houses.
Carmel Impresarios spans more than a century of history and includes nearly 300 rare and vintage photos and illustrations. The narrative places the life and work of its two colorful subjects in a detailed context of the artistic, intellectual, social, and cultural currents of early 20th century America.
“Carmel Impresarios is a wonderful, long-overdue biography of two amazing pioneers in music, architecture, design, and the arts who, as often happened with women, were ‘disappeared’ from earlier accounts. Written with zest and love, this book is a major contribution. David Gordon has given us a real gift!”
– Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice & the Blade and The Real Wealth of Nations.
Author: David Gordon
