 | | | Teresa Gerringer, Lafayette Community Foundation president, presents the Lafayette Community Foundation grant to WomenSing's board president, Ann Dzuna, along with members of the Youth Inspiring Youth - Commissioning Emerging Composers committee. From left: Teresa Caldwell (Lafayette), Teresa Gerringer, Rachel Eidbo, Patti Sax (Lafayette), Amy Hiestand (Orinda), Ann Dzuna (Moraga), Patty Murray (Orinda). Photo provided | | | | | | The Lafayette Community Foundation awarded an excellence grant of $2,500 that enables the local women's chorus WomenSing to expand artistic programming in Lafayette. The Foundation invests in programs and projects that enhance the civic, cultural, educational and environmental health of the city. Its grant to WomenSing makes possible a weekend of free public performances April 11-12, giving local audiences an insider's view of a composer's creative process and the ways that choral singers respond to challenging new music. Three local choruses will participate including WomenSing.
Founded in 1965, WomenSing, is an award-winning chorus of nearly 50 women from the Lamorinda and East Bay areas. Its signature project is Youth Inspiring Youth - Commissioning Emerging Composers. Young California composers, ages 18-30, compete for paid commissions to create new choral works for the chorus. The texts are provided by award-winning children's poetry from the River of Words Project of the Center for Environmental Literacy at Saint Mary's College in Moraga.
According to WomenSing artistic director, Martin Benvenuto, Ph.D., "Youth Inspiring Youth has already given birth to nine remarkable choral compositions by young California composers. With this generous grant, we can expand our workshops and performances in ways that give the public additional insight into the exciting challenges of performing new music."
The winning composers for the current year are Chris Castro and Jordan Nelson. Castro is a graduate student in composition at UC Davis. He earned a bachelor of music from the Juilliard School where his award-winning composition, Monolith (A Symphonic Sketch) was premiered by the Juilliard Orchestra. For his commission, he has chosen a powerful poem entitled 'Poseidon's Steeds' written by Allegra Hyde when she was 14. Allegra is now pursuing an MFA at Arizona State, while actively writing poetry and short stories.
Nelson teaches music theory at Colburn Conservatory of Music and is working towards his doctor of musical arts in Composition at USC. His accomplishments range from orchestral works to chamber music for both acoustic and electro-acoustic ensembles. Nelson selected a set of 10 haiku-like mini-poems entitled "Ten Ways of Looking at the Sun", written by Sophie Anderson, age 13 at the time. Sophie, now a cellist living in Seattle, is very excited about having her poetry set to music.
For information about the upcoming WomenSing "Treble Voices Now Festival" April 11-12, as well as other performances and workshops, visit womensing.org.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA