"The Ballot and the Ballad: Women Who Fought with Words and Song"

Join singer Linda Radtke and author Eliza Smith Brown for a dynamic blend of story and song tracing the power of women’s voices in the fight for suffrage and political reform. In period costume, Radtke performs songs that inspired a movement—from polite pleas to rallying cries—while Brown shares the true story of two Pittsburgh sisters who not only battled for the vote but also led a fearless crusade against corruption. Together, they reveal how women used both harmony and heroism to reshape American democracy.

Linda Radtke Bio:
A native of Seneca Falls, NY, Linda Radtke combined her interest in history and music after retiring from teaching high-school English in rural Vermont. She has toured the state sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council with the Vermont Civil War Songbook, Vermont’s Musical Ladies, and From the Parlor to the Polling Place: Songs and Stories from the Suffragists. A recording with pianist John Lincoln, Vermont History through Popular Song, traces published songs from 1798 to the present.

Linda is a classical host for Vermont Public Radio, producing a weekly program on choral music, and is active in the choral world as a frequent soloist and member of Vermont’s professional vocal ensemble, Counterpoint. Here at Chautauqua, she enjoys singing with the Motet Choir.

Arlene Hajinlian and Linda were roommates at Douglass College of Rutgers University and have resumed their friendship many years later at Chautauqua.

Eliza Smith Brown Bio:
Eliza Smith Brown is the author of She Devils at the Door, a personal and public family story published by Carnegie Mellon University, which debuted to an audience of over 300 at the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures series in fall 2023. A seasoned writer and storyteller, she also authored Pittsburgh Legends and Visions and coauthored several other works, including A Legacy in Bricks and Mortar and The Duquesne Club Cookbook. Eliza has lectured widely for institutions such as the Smithsonian and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. With a background in historic preservation and architecture, she spent over a decade as director of communications for The Association of Theological Schools. A Mount Holyoke College graduate who studied historic preservation at Cornell, she remains deeply involved in the Pittsburgh community and currently chairs the board of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Arlene Hajinlian Bio:
Arlene Hajinlian studied biology and music at Douglass College, part of Rutgers University, then transferred to Juilliard to complete Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance.  After teaching privately for 15 years, she transitioned to a 23 year career in pharmaceuticals and biotech, where her most recent role was as a Medical Science Liaison with Celgene Corp, supporting drug development in hematologic cancers.  Happily retired for 11 years, Arlene enjoys playing chamber music on both viola and piano, and taking classes at Quest, a lifelong learning community in Manhattan.  She is an active traveler, and has done volunteer trips in Armenia, Tanzania, Morocco, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Peru doing community service or team-building homes for those in need with The Fuller Center.  She proudly serves on the board of Music For Food, an initiative that raises funds for hunger relief.