When I work with emerging composers trying to get noticed, I ask them “What are you trying to be noticed FOR?”- Libby Larsen. Could the social media environment incentivize non-musical answers to this question?
In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with the remarkable composer Libby Larsen about her journey into the world of music. We discuss the importance of viewing music education as a language-based approach, where understanding the “language” of music is just as critical as performance. Libby and I also explore the relationship between composition and performance, emphasizing the role of performers in bringing a composer’s work to life and the contemporary challenges that composers face in today’s music industry.
Our conversation extends to the impact of social media on artistic promotion and the pressure on composers to establish a personal brand based on identity categories at the expense of the focus on the music itself. Libby shares valuable insights from her own career, including her notable works for Oxford and some other publishers. We delve into the creation of meaningful art, the challenges of getting noticed in the industry, and the significance of staying true to one’s passion in the face of external pressures.
Come to KC and Sing Next June!
Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com
Support the Show/Bonus Materials
Be Sure to Find Choralosophy on TikTok!
For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and FB!
You can listen from the widgets below which will take you to Apple or Castbox to finish listening, or you can find the show on Google Play, Spotify, Youtube or Stitcher!
Libby Larsen, born December 24, 1950 in Wilmington, Delaware, is one of America’s most performed living composers.
She has created a catalogue of over 500 works spanning virtually every genre from intimate vocal and chamber music to massive orchestral works and over 15 operas. Grammy award-winning and widely recorded, including over 50 CDs of her work, she is constantly sought after for commissions and premieres by major artists, ensembles, and orchestras around the world, and has established a permanent place for her works in the concert repertory.
As a vigorous, articulate advocate for the music and musicians of our time, in 1973 Larsen co-founded the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composer’s Forum, which has become an invaluable aid for composers in a transitional time for American arts. A former holder of the Papamarkou Chair at John W. Kluge Center of the Library of Congress, Larsen has also held residencies with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony, and the Colorado Symphony.
https://www.instagram.com/choralosophy/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=522&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fchoralosophy.com&rp=%2F2024%2F09%2F13%2Fepisode-215-thinking-in-the-language-of-music-with-libby-larsen%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A2487.5999999940395%2C%22ls%22%3A1868.5999999940395%2C%22le%22%3A2483.5999999940395%7Dhttps://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/choralosophy/id1450209837?itsct=podcast_box_player&itscg=30200&ls=1&theme=auto
Bring your friends to the conversation:
Like this:
https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=13.9-a.5#blog_id=156845795&post_id=7694&origin=choralosophy.com&obj_id=156845795-7694-66eae8f5638b9&n=1CategoriesOxford Series, PodcastsTagschoir, choral music, culture, education, growth, inclusion, language, music education, pedagogy, philosophy, resilienceEdit”Episode 215: Thinking in the Language of Music with Libby Larsen”
Leave a Reply
https://jetpack.wordpress.com/jetpack-comment/?blogid=156845795&postid=7694&comment_registration=0&require_name_email=1&stc_enabled=1&stb_enabled=1&show_avatars=1&avatar_default=identicon&greeting=Leave+a+Reply&jetpack_comments_nonce=1014b6ca78&greeting_reply=Leave+a+Reply+to+%25s&color_scheme=light&lang=en_US&jetpack_version=13.9-a.5&hc_post_as=jetpack&hc_userid=150797374&hc_username=Choralosophy+Podcast&hc_userurl=http%3A%2F%2Fchoralosophy.wordpress.com&hc_useremail=cc630ef30847c2a97afa416b62de814b&_wp_unfiltered_html_comment=f643bba5c9&token_key=%3Bnormal%3B&sig=3132d3ed7ba09a1813b6fd6bb2d89f8f47f3afc1#parent=https%3A%2F%2Fchoralosophy.com%2F2024%2F09%2F13%2Fepisode-215-thinking-in-the-language-of-music-with-libby-larsen%2F
Post navigation
Previous PostPreviousEpisode 214: Church to School- Gospel in Academia with Dr. Emorja Roberson
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.