The Collegian
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Alumna wins national literary award

Sarah Bruce Kelly, who holds a BA and MLA from the University of Richmond, is the 2012 winner of the Tyler R. Tichelaar Award for Historical Fiction for her novel, "Vivaldi's Muse."

Set in 18th-century Italy and Austria, Kelly's novel reveals the true story behind Antonio Vivaldi's music and his relationship with opera singer Annina Giro. Kelly said that at first, she couldn't believe it when she won the award, and then felt stunned, awed and deeply honored.

"Vivaldi has always been my favorite composer, since I was 4 years old and heard 'The Four Seasons' for the first time," Kelly said. "When I was working on my MLA degree at UR back in 2000, I took a class on Baroque Music and Art and chose to tackle Vivaldi's opera career for my final paper."

Dr. Jennifer Cable, who taught the music portion of the class, told Kelly that no one else in music scholarship was working on this and that her research could be groundbreaking, Kelly said.

"My research revealed the little-known story of Vivaldi's long-term artistic collaboration with his protegee, Annina Giro, which I found intriguing," Kelly said. "I went on to receive an MA in Music from UVA, where I continued my research. The more I learned about this fascinating relationship, I knew it would be ideal material for a historical novel."

Kelly said that her research for the novel had taken about ten years and included trips to Venice, Craz and Vienna and translating countless historical documents.

"I was very pleased that 'Vivaldi's Muse' won the award this year," Tichelaar stated in a press release. "It has all the elements that make for great historical fiction, never straying too far from history while bringing alive the past, so that readers will feel like they really are in Vienna, Mantua or Venice or listening to great opera singers perform in the eighteenth century.

"Sarah Bruce Kelly has done a masterful job of blending her research into the story. I was most impressed by her meticulous efforts to present Vivaldi and Annina Giro's relationship truthfully, without sensationalism, making it more poignant and realistic as a result. I could not put the book down and finished it in two days. I commend Kelly for her talent and hope many more novels will come from her pen."

Along with writing and studying at Richmond, Kelly also served as the Music Director for University of Richmond's Catholic Campus Ministry for eight years, which she said had been one of the most rewarding experiences of her life. She hails from Richmond, Virginia, and now lives on the South Carolina coast with her husband, Frank, where she spends her time writing, reading, teaching and enjoying the sun and surf. Kelly is also the author of "The Red Priest's Annina" and "Jazz Girl," which is based on the life of Mary Lou Williams, an African American pianist and composer. She is currently working on the sequel to "The Red Priest's Annina."

Contact reporter Anika Kempe at anika.kempe@richmond.edu

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