SHE Festival of Women in Music Starting Next Week

University of Arkansas

The Department of Music will present the fourth annual SHE Festival of Women in Music from March 13-18. This year's festival will be virtual, featuring two guest composers, a faculty concert and a student concert, highlighting musical compositions written by women. 

"The SHE Festival is an integral part of celebrating the diversity in music and our department," Ronda Mains, department chair, said. "Recognizing the important musical contributions of women as composers, performers or scholars from all cultures is an important part of learning who we are as humans." 

Kicking off the festival will be the SHE Faculty Concert, with works performed by faculty members Lenora Green-Turner, Lauren Becque, Miroslava Panayotova, Tomoko Kashiwagi, Eric Troiano, Katelyn Halbert, Asher Armstrong, Cory Mixdorf, Lia Uribe and Theresa Delaplain. Their performances will be premiered on the Department of Music's YouTube channel at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 13.

Composer-in-Residence Chihchun Chi-Sun Lee is originally from Taiwan, and her path has taken her to the United States and then Korea. She has won many awards and is known for her works using traditional Taiwanese styles as well as contemporary Western musical style. Lee will give a talk titled "Cross-Cultural Musical Encounters" at 7 p.m., Sunday, March 13. This will outline her own work and her decision to compose in both traditional Taiwanese and contemporary art styles.  

On Monday, March 14, at 7 p.m., Lee will have a Livestream Zoom composition master class. Attendees at this class will have a chance to hear her suggestions and motivational comments for young composers. 

Composer-in-Residence Johanny Navarro lives in Puerto Rico and is known for her works reflecting the Caribbean musical aesthetic. She has written several operas, as well as works for orchestra, chamber ensemble and solo pieces. 

Navarro will offer a master class for composers at 4 p.m. on March 16, lending her unique cultural view to young aspiring composers. And at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16, Navarro will present "Cronicas de una Compositriz" (Chronicles of a Composer), a look at culture and design in her own works. 

The SHE Festival will conclude with the SHE Student Concert featuring the department's own students performing works by women, with a YouTube premiere release at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 17. This will include student performers Michael Lindsey, Sophia Lopez, Megan Park, Mickel Gordon, Zoie Benton, Markell Cox, Leah Foster, David Talbot, Dekarius Dawson and Markell Cox. 

Audience members attending the virtual SHE livestream Zoom events should register beforehand through the Department of Music's website.