Janna MacAuslan and Kristen Aspen began working together as a duo in 1981. Their mutual love for classical music and their passion for womens's history and culture inspired them to search for classical repertoire by women composers. 1984 marked the duo's first national tour and the release of a first cassette recording. A second cassette followed in 1985. From 1984-94 Janna and Kristan contributed a regular column, "Noteworthy Women/Musical Foremothers," to HOTWIRE, A Journal of Women's Music and Culture. Musica Femina's third recording, Returning the Muse to Music, was released in August, 1989. In the Fall of 1993, their tenth year of touring together, Kristan and Janna released Heartstreams, a recording of their own compositions. The cover art was commisioned from Santa Fe artist, Anne Bence. Posters suitable for framing were also printed from photographs of the original art which stands over 7 feet tall. Recordings, posters, music scores, and Janna's catalog are all available upon request.
Born in northern Maine and raised in rural towns of Washington state, Kristan Aspen (b.1948) surrounded herself with classical music from childhood through high school. She attended Oberlin College where she stopped performing, graduated with a degree in Sociology, and promptly joined the women's movement. Through a long non-musical period she studied linguistics and auto mechanics, and taught English as a second language. After an eight-year hiatus she began to make music again, performing with the Izquierda Ensemble on a national feminist circuit for four years. The group released Quiet Thunder, and LP album, in 1979. Since 1981 Aspen has focused on classical womens' music and study of the flute, working with Jane Bowers, Marilyn Shotola, and Marcy Lohman. Kristan's goal as a performer is to let the music become a direct expression of her Self.
A native Texan, Janna MacAuslan (b.1951) studied guitar performance at the University of Texas at El Paso. After graduation she toured the Southwest and Mexico with her teache and duo partner, Abraham Spector. In 1977 she traveled to West Berlin where she performed in an original womens' music ensemble for a year and a half. Before moving to Oregon in 1981, she taught and performed in the Bay Area of California. Janna holds a Master of Music degree from Lewis and Clark College. While there she studied guitar with Ian Mitchell, James Kline, and Scott Kritzer. As part of her ongoing research for music by women composers, Janna has compiled and distributes a catalog which lists works by women for guitar, including both solos and pieces with other instruments and voice.