Dr. Helen Martens: A Woman of Music – Mennonite Heritage Archives

Tales from the Mennonite Heritage Archives – Episode 23

Helen with actor Leonard Nimoy on the film set of Holy Matrimony in 1994. She advised on Hutterite culture and music. Source unknow, from Mennonite Historian, March 2021.
A copy of one of Felix Mendelssohn's letters. Helen translated over 9000 of his letters in the course of her studies.
Some published work of Delphine von Schauroth - another area of research for Helen. Von Schauroth was a contemporary of Felix Mendelssohn and also wrote music with him.

In this episode, Dan sits down with Sara, a history student and archives employee, to discuss Dr. Helen Martens, the first known Mennonite woman to achieve a PhD in Music. Sara spent considerable time organizing the Helen Martens collection and is well acquainted with Dr. Martens through her materials at the archives. Helen Martens was born in 1928, in Russia and travelled with her family from the Soviet Union to Canada in 1929. Helen dedicated her life to music, teaching and studying around the world, particularly on Hutterite music and composer Felix Mendelssohn.

Read Peter Letkemann’s obituary of Helen Martens in the March 2021 Mennonite Historian here.

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Podcast Series: Tales from the Mennonite Heritage Archives
Episode 23: Dr. Helen Martens: A Woman of Music
Date: April 6, 2025
Host: Dan Dyck
Special guest: Sara Dyck
Published by The Mennonite Heritage Archives

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