work of this period which is regarded as her finest, being described by musicologist David Gordon Duke as music that "drew on the textures and organizational principles of the Webern school but was suffused with a lyricism that was expressly individual". Although Pentland's position at the forefront of the Canadian musical avant-garde was recognized during her lifetime, her career was also marked by substantial struggle. As a woman composer of 'difficult' music, she met with resistance from male performers and was often treated dismissively by fellow composers. Her academic career was relatively brief; she left her post at the University of British Columbia because of conflict with the department chair on the issue of academic standards. Following the end of her career (forced by ill health more than a decade before her death), Pentland fell into relative obscurity, overshadowed in discussions of Canadian music by her male contemporaries. Her works have nonetheless been recorded by such performers as Angela Hewitt (Studies in Line), Glenn Gould (Ombres/Shadows), and Robert Rogers (multiple works). Pentland's centennial was celebrated with a 2012 concert series sponsored by the Canadian Music Centre (BC Region), and with a revival of her opera The Lake presented by Astrolabe Musik Theatre, the Turning Point Ensemble, and Westbank First Nation. That year, the CMC Centrediscs label also released Toccata, a recording of Pentland's compositions by pianist Barbara Pritchard. Pentland was an early member of the Canadian Music Centre, which provides public access to a large number of her scores and recordings. Library and Archives Canada holds the Barbara Pentland fonds. Pentland was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1989, and a Member of the Order of British Columbia in 1993. Selected works Studies in Line (1941) Symphony No. 2 (1950) (1957) Duo for Viola and Piano (1960) Variations for Viola Solo (1965) Disasters of the Sun (1976) (1983) See also Music of Canada List of Canadian composers References External links Barbara Pentland fonds at Library and Archives Canada CMC Composer Showcase: Barbara Pentland 1912 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Canadian composers 20th-century classical composers 20th-century women composers Canadian classical composers Women classical composers Members of the Order of Canada Musicians from Winnipeg Olympic competitors in art competitions Pupils of Aaron Copland Canadian women composers