Compose Like a Girl

Mari Esabel Valverde joins Jocelyn to talk language, unlearning shame, gender, and pathways to excellence for the under-resourced.    Companion playlists: YouTube, Spotify   Episode Transcript    Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Relevant Links:   Before Spring To digte af Tove Ditlevsen | Performed by Matthew Valverde, tenor Darest, O Soul | Performed by Cantus Earth, Mother | Performed by the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club Moonlight Quartet | Performed by Her Ensemble  Border Lines | Text by Yesenia Montilla | Composed for and Performed by Adams State University Chamber Choir   St. Olaf College European American Music Alliance  Amir Rabiyah, poet  International Orange Chorale of San Francisco   Influences and inspiration:  Claude Debussy King David, Part III: “The Death of David” by Arthur Honegger Les Six Wilhelm Stenhammar Jean Sibelius Wilhelm Peterson-Berger Edvard Grieg Siete Canciones Populares Españolas, V. Nana by Manuel de Falla   Resources on Gender Identity: Video by Chase Ross: “Trans 101: Ep 1 - What is Transgender?”  Graphic by the Trans Student Education Resource: The Gender Unicorn  Graphic by Sam Killerman: The Genderbread Person 

Season 2 of Compose Like a Girl will launch later this week!   Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl

Grace Becker joins Jocelyn for a conversation on today’s bonus episode!    Grace is an amateur composer who is excited to share her passion for spreading joy and writing music with the world. Grace grew up singing in choirs in her hometown Bloomington, MN and began composing in her second year of college. She quickly found purpose in the vulnerable, honest nature of this process. She has since composed a handful of songs, with her debut appearing in the Compose Like A Girl series. She has always had a love for poetry and storytelling, often choosing to make settings of her own poems. Choral music has left a profound mark on her life, and she is honored to be able to share her words with the public, hoping they will find those who need to hear them the most. Grace graduated with a bachelor’s in music education from Wartburg College and is currently teaching K-4th general music in Iowa.   Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links:   Grace Becker: Instagram - @grace.becker73 Facebook - @GraceBecker Known, available through Graphite Publishing  Performance of Known by Voces Solis, conducted by Ryan Keeling Wartburg College, Dr. Lee Nelson

Dale Trumbore joins Jocelyn to talk about the pressure of proving ourselves, reclaiming space, and healing. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber.  Companion playlists: Youtube, Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links: Dale Trumbore    Staying Composed, Overcoming Anxiety and Self-Doubt Within a Creative Life Nasty Women Poets, “a fat girl’s guide to loving her body,” poem written by Grace Gorski Encouraging Composers Within Your Ensemble Dale’s Essays   Infinitely and Without Apology Breathe in Hope In The Middle How To Go On, Requiescat  Fearless Canyon   Abbie Betinis Julie Kane Brandon Elliot Margaret H. Sedenquist Maya Jackson - actress  Philando Castile  Alton Sterling   Choral Arts Initiative Pasadena Symphony Association   St. Olaf College  University of Maryland   Grand Canyon Taos, New Mexico   ASCAP 2017 Morton Gould Award Billboard Traditional Classical Chart

Sarah Kirkland Snider joins Jocelyn on the inaugural episode of the Compose Like a Girl Podcast to talk about craft, sincerity, and gender perceptions in classical music. Hear the full, unedited conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber.  Youtube Companion Playlist, Spotify Companion Playlist   Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   References/For More Information: Sarah Kirkland Snider https://www.sarahkirklandsnider.com/    Penelope- https://www.sarahkirklandsnider.com/albums/penelope  Mass for the Endangered -  https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/58208/Mass-for-the-Endangered--Sarah-Kirkland-Snider/  Unremembered - https://www.sarahkirklandsnider.com/albums/unremembered    New Amsterdam Records (Judd Greenstein and Bill Brittelle) - https://www.newamrecords.com/  Cantaloupe Music - https://cantaloupemusic.com/  Yale University - https://music.yale.edu/  St. Olaf College - Anton Armstrong - https://wp.stolaf.edu/choir/history/conductor/  Trinity Wall Street - https://trinitywallstreet.org/  Fargo-Moorhead Symphony - https://www.fmsymphony.org/  Kansas City Lyric Opera - https://kcopera.org/  Gallicantus, conducted by Gabriel Crouch- https://www.gallicantus.com/gabriel-crouch  Annie Rosen - http://www.annierosenmezzo.com/  Nathaniel Bellows - https://www.nathanielbellows.com/  David Lang - https://davidlangmusic.com/about/  Shara Nova - https://shara-nova.com/  My Brightest Diamond (Shara Nova) - https://www.mybrightestdiamond.com/  Ethel Smyth - https://www.ethelsmyth.org/  Deborah Johnson, also known as Candy Stations - https://www.candystations.com/    Candy Floss article - New Music Box: https://newmusicusa.org/nmbx/candy-floss-and-merry-go-rounds-female-composers-gendered-language-and-emotion/  Article on Jeanine Tesori and Missy Mazzoli at The Metropolitan Opera: https://playbill.com/article/metropolitan-opera-to-present-new-works-by-jeanine-tesori-and-missy-mazzoli  NY times article on works by women being performed more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/21/arts/music/american-orchestras-women-minorities.html  Mass for the Endangered Q&A: https://operawire.com/q-a-sarah-kirkland-snider-on-new-recording-mass-for-the-endangered-writing-the-piece/  

Trailer! On this new Compose Like a Girl podcast, Jocelyn Hagen shares conversations with composers as a part of her larger initiative that amplifies female-identifying composers, helps conductors diversify their concerts, and works toward more equality in music programming and commissioning.    Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl

Shara Nova joins Jocelyn to talk about her many and multi-faceted musical endeavors. They discuss music's role in love, loss, family, and why everyone should try to make a joyful musical noise together.     Episode transcript   Companion playlists: Youtube, Spotify   Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Relevant Links:   AwRY My Brightest Diamond Bring Me the Workhorse - Golden Star This is My Hand All Things Will Unwind Titration  “III. Resolve” from Carols After a Plague - The Crossing Death Speaks by David Lang   Earl Harvin - drummer  Chris Bruce - bass Eighth Blackbird Philip Glass  Nina Simone Nico Muhly Owen Palette Brooklyn Youth Chorus yMusic Zac Rae Bryce Dessner  Aaron Dessner Laurie Anderson    Homeland, Joe's Pub Vanguard Artist & Residency  Crossing Brooklyn Ferry at BAM Texas Conspirare 2022-2023 Hear Me Out Program  MusiCares Article: Client Spotlight: How Shara Nova Amplified Her Career By Keeping A "Wild Belief" In Herself & Other Women   ProTools Sibelius

Emily Drum joins Jocelyn for a conversation on today’s bonus episode!    Emily (she/her) is a singer, arranger, composer, vocal producer, songwriter, and educator living in Phoenix, AZ. During her time at the University of Arizona, she became the driving force behind the award-winning a cappella group Amplified, serving as director, arranger, and producer. In addition to leading the group to historic success in the Varsity Vocals ICCA competition, she received four ‘Outstanding Arrangement’ awards for her work. Today, Emily is in high demand as a professional vocal arranger and composer. She is commissioned by high school groups, top-ranked collegiate a cappella groups, and semi-professional choirs all over the country, and her self-published arrangements have been sung all over the world, in over 15 countries spread across 5 continents. In addition to arranging and composing, Emily is also a vocal coach, producer, and member of the award-winning treble vocal quartet, Red Letter Daze. Over time, her contributions to countless vocal projects have landed her 27 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARA) nominations and awards. She is excited to continue making strides in the world of vocal music and is grateful to be featured in Graphite Publishing.   Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links:   Emily Drum  Womankind, available through Graphite Publishing Star Light, Star Bright, available through Graphite Publishing GALA Choruses Phoenix Women’s Chorus  International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Red Letter Daze Boston A Cappella Festival  DAW  

Sherry Blevins joins Jocelyn for a conversation on today’s bonus episode!    Sherry is an award-winning composer/lyricist, conductor/clinician, and an award-winning music educator. Her first piece was published in 2018. Since then, more than 17 of her pieces have been published, and she is now with four publishing houses including Hinshaw, Fred Bock, BriLee, and JH Music. Since then, she has enjoyed composing for and with a variety of singers and ensembles across North America. Sherry has a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree in music education from Appalachian State University. Her hope is that whether through composing or teaching, that the music she shares will bring hope, life, and light to others.    Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links:   Sherry Blevins When I Become An Old Woman, available through Graphite Publishing Looking for Light, available through Graphite Publishing  If I Call To You, My Love, available through Graphite Publishing  Jenny Joseph’s poem “When I Become an Old Woman” Dr. Iris S. Levine, Vox Femina 

Ritika Bhattacharjee joins Jocelyn for a conversation on today’s bonus episode!  Ritika is a composer, pianist, and vocalist who performs in jazz combos and big bands, plays for contemporary dance productions with Ventana Ballet, and underscores fully improvised musicals at Merlin Works, The Hideout, The Fallout, and ColdTowne Theatre. Her multi-media composition portfolio includes the scores for three short films, a video game, an iOS app, a string quartet, a musical, and a symphony commission from Austin Balcones Orchestra. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2022, where she founded and served as the president and conductor of Ingeniare, the A&M Student Engineering Chorus, and served as the band leader and pianist for Binomial Rhapsody, an engineering instrumental ensemble that composed music from math equations. During her undergraduate study, she was the lead jazz vocalist for the Corps of Cadets Aggieland Orchestra, performing scores from the big-band era on tour. She currently works as a business consultant in Austin, TX, and will receive her graduate diploma in composition from the European Academy of Film Scoring in 2024.   Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links:   Ritika Bhattacharjee The Infinity of Space available through Graphite Publishing   Texas A&M University Shayla Rivera (Ritika’s Professor at Texas A&M University) Binomial Rhapsody Python  Pivot Gutenberg! The musical! Film Scoring Academy of Europe   Conspirare Morten Lauridsen - Lux Aeterna Orange County Philharmonic Pepsi R&D Lewis Carroll’s, “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”   SOUNDDRAW String Theory Wormhole Paradoxes Dr. Michio Kaku

Patti Arntz joins Jocelyn for a conversation on today’s bonus episode!    Patti has been a music educator and church musician in the Twin Cities area for over 40 years. She has degrees in music from Hamline University, St. Paul, MN and Drake University, Des Moines, IA and a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. She recently retired from teaching elementary music with the Robbinsdale Area Schools in the Twin Cities area. During her 30 years of instructing young children to sing and make music, she also directed the Robbinsdale All-District Elementary Honors Choir for 15 years. Throughout her teaching career, she served as an organist and director of youth/adult choirs in local churches. In 2003, Patti was contacted by St. Olaf College to see if she would take a student teacher. The answer was yes, of course. That student teacher was Jocelyn Hagen. The favor was returned when Jocelyn served as a mentor for Patti’s compositions and arrangements.   In 2010, Patti commissioned Jocelyn to compose a children’s choir piece in memory of Teresa Benjamin, Assistant Director of the Robbinsdale Elementary Honor Choir. Teresa passed away in the spring of 2003. This composition, “I Started Out Singing,” has become very popular in recent years.   Keeping in touch with her elementary music roots, she serves as an adjunct professor at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota, instructing elementary education majors on teaching and integrating music into their future classrooms.   Patti lives in the Twin Cities area with her husband, Rolland, where she enjoys outdoor activities, traveling and cooking. She sings with Singers in Accord and is a charter member of the choir. Her adult children, Kyle and Melani are both very involved in music in the Twin Cities area.   Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links:   Patti Arntz on social media: Instagram @pmarntz, Facebook @Patti Arntz. A Quilt of Snow (available through Graphite Publishing for 2-part treble, SATB, or SSA choir and C instrument) A Quilt of Snow Introduction Performance of A Quilt of Snow by Vox Nova Chorale, Vicki Peters, Artistic Director Robbinsdale All District Choir, MN Odd Nordstoga 

Rosephanye Powell joins Jocelyn to talk about Black music, storytelling, music-making as service, and much more. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber.  Companion playlists: Youtube, Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Music by Cicely Parnas. Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions.   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links:   Rosephanye Powell Living Legend Award African Diaspora Sacred Music Festival    HBCUs Alabama State University  Florida State University - Choirs North Dakota State University - Choral Symposium   Fred Boch Music  Gentry Publications   Undine Smith Moore Dr. Lena McLin Dr. André J. Thomas Rodney Eichenberger Hall Johnson William L. Dawson Harry Thacker Burleigh John Wesley Work III Martin Luther King Jr.  Harriet Tubman    I Wanna Be Ready The Word Was God Still I Rise  The Cry of Jeremiah  Quiet Revolutionary  He Is Marvelous - ACDA Western Conference 2022 Gospel Honor Choir    My Voice Soars - a Compose Like a Girl partnership with Tucson Girls Chorus 

B.E. Boykin joins Jocelyn to talk about curriculum, the collaborative energy between singers and pianists, and finding mentorship among friends. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber.  Companion playlists: Youtube, Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links:   B.E. Boykin   Spelman College Georgia Tech   Minnesota Opera New Works Initiative Song Poet   John 3:16  We Wear the Mask commissioned by the Mirror Visions Ensemble featuring Abi Levis and Grant Wenaus Holding the Light commissioned by Jordan Shomper Stuart Kestenbaum, poet   William Menefield, Fierce with the Cincinnati Opera  Darin Atwater, Soulful Symphony Richard Smallwood Brandon Waddles Marques L.A. Garrett Rosephanye Powell (featured in our upcoming episode!)   Compose Like a Girl theme composed by Cicely Parnas. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Cecilia McDowall joins Jocelyn to talk about drawing inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci, leading with curiosity, and the truth that it’s never too late to find your compositional path. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber.  Companion playlists: Youtube, Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links: Cecilia McDowall   Leonardo Da Vinci Da Vinci Requiem (McDowall) The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci (Hagen) Wimbledon Choral Society   Harriet Quimby  Night Flight  The Ivors Classical Awards 2014 Kantorei, Joel Rinsema director   BBC Singers Rosalind Franklin Photo 51 Seven Ages of Women    Yehudi Menuhin School Trinity Laban Conservatoire Of Music and Dance London Concordia Foundation  Fibonacci Sequence chamber ensemble  

Reena Esmail joins Jocelyn to talk about finding our truth. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber.  Companion playlists: Youtube, Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links:   Reena Esmail    Black Iris (formerly #metoo) performed by Chicago Sinfonietta Tuttarrana (SATB) Tuttarrana (Brass Quintet) - Serif Brass  This Love Between Us   The Juilliard School  Yale School of Music   Aaron Kernis, composer Susan Botti, composer Sam Adler, composer Debt: The First 5000 Years  Georgia O’Keefe, painter   Bartók Concerto for Orchestra

Angélica Negrón joins Jocelyn to talk about the value of play, collaboration, and how classicism shows up in education. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber.  Companion playlists: Youtube, Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links:   Angélica Negrón   2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize  New York Philharmonic Education    Chorus of the Forest Performance   The Blue Hour - (Rachel Grimes, Angélica Negrón, Caroline Shaw, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Shara Nova) The Blue Hour: No. 3, A Black Map A Far Cry Carolyn Forché (Blue Hour) The Blue Hour is available for hire at WiseMusicClassical.com.   Balún - Angélica Negrón, José A. Olivares, Raúl Reymundi, Noraliz Ruiz, with guest performers Prisma Tropical - La Nueva Ciudad   Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Penelope (shared as an anecdote) Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Chen Yi joins Jocelyn to share her approaches to blending classical compositional styles and teaching. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber.  Companion playlists: Youtube, Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl   Transcript PDF   Relevant Links:   Chen Yi  https://www.presser.com/chen-yi-at-70 https://conservatory.umkc.edu/profiles/faculty-directory/chen-yi.html   To learn more about Chinese Cultural Revolution and Chinese Traditional Music, visit: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/world/asia/china-cultural-revolution-explainer.html   https://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/docs/introduction_to_the_cultural_revolution  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_China https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/international/music-of-china/  Tang Dynasty   Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing  Tianjin Conservatory National Symphony Orchestra, Taiwan University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Peabody Institute    UMKC Composition Competition Opportunities Beijing International Composition Workshop   Chanticleer Albums: Colors of Love and The Siren’s Call: Live Concert Highlights    Album: Digital Mist - Works For Violin and Piano; Patrick Yim (violin), Kiu Tung Poon (piano), Sebastian Currier   Albany Records Jennifer Higdon Niccolò Paganini