Youth Inspiring Youth – WomenSing’s Choral Composition Competition

With a focus on youth, opportunities and a creative process, WomenSing is providing the opportunity for young composers to create new choral music, mentored by nationally recognized composer Libby Larsen. Through a blind application/submission process judged by WomenSing’s Artistic Leadership Team, two competition winners are commissioned to write treble choral works based on the inspired children’s poetry from the River of Words project. All participants take part in a series of events, including public workshops* and discussions, culminating in the commissioned works being premiered in concert by WomenSing. Since the program’s inception in 2009, WomenSing has commissioned four pieces.

The following video features interviews with Martin Benvenuto of WomenSing, Pamela Michaels from River of Words, and Ryan Harper, one of the first composers to participate in the program. Several clips from the first workshop with Libby Larsen, the 2009 composers, and WomenSing provide an interesting look at the collaborative process. “With this program, the chorus is developing an avid thirst for being a part of the creative process,” Benvenuto says. “They are fascinated with trying things out at the workshop and seeing how these composers are thinking.”

A Mentoring Program for Young Composers

WomenSing is proud to introduce the 2011 Youth Inspiring Youth Composer Competition winners, Lauren McLaren and Nick Norton. Each will be commissioned to write a new choral work: one for WomenSing and one combined piece for WomenSing, the Acalanes High School women’s ensemble Bella Voce, and the Miramonte High School Women’s Ensemble, to be premiered in June 2011.

Lauren McLaren, 21, has always demonstrated an intense passion for composing and performing music. She recently received her Bachelor of Music degree in composition from the University of Southern California, where she also spent four years in the marching band. She is currently in Los Angeles, pursuing a Master of Arts degree from USC in teaching public school music. She looks forward to the day when she can give her students the same amazing experiences and life-changing opportunities that her music teachers gave to her.

Nick Norton, 24, was born in Santa Monica, took up guitar and saxophone at an early age, and spent his formative years playing in various punk bands in Ventura County, before pursuing composition and guitar performance at UC San Diego, where he graduated with honors. Following UCSD, Norton studied composition and counterpoint at Lâ Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, and then studied in London, earning an M.Mus from King’s College. Currently living in Los Angeles, Norton spends most of his time composing, playing guitar with Honest Iago, and working for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Both composers will work with noted American composer, Libby Larsen, as they create new music for WomenSing. This collaboration will culminate in a public workshop held in May, 2011 where the composers, Ms. Larsen, and the singers of WomenSing will work together on the music, experimenting with and fine-tuning the compositions in preparation for the premieres in June, 2011.

*WomenSing gratefully acknowledges that the Youth Inspiring Youth Composers Public Workshop and Reception are funded in part through Meet The Composer’s MetLife Creative Connections program.