School of Music professors seek to highlight diverse composers
Photo by Senior Photographer Isaac Vacheresse
Lee University’s School of Music recently hosted a faculty recital with Dr. Julianne Olson and Kristen Holritz, hoping to celebrate female composers.
The duo performed “Double Treble,” stories told by living female composers, including Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and American composer Valerie Coleman. Olson said their mission was to “invite everyone to arrive with a sense of humor and open minds as we venture into these exciting modern works that champion female composers.”
Olson and Holritz hope to see a change in the culture of music and bring more diversity into the curriculum.
Olson joined the School of Music faculty in 2020, teaching courses in voice and voice labs. She won the Virginia Humanities Grant to champion marginalized communities, specifically Black, Indigenous, people of color and female composers.
With the grant, Olson gave multiple lecture series and recitals about composers who need a platform. She hopes to make the system better by hearing from all different perspectives.
“When you go to any given musical library, what do you see? We see a lot of dead white guys. Their music is beautiful, but there’s room at the table for all types of different compositions,” said Olson. She believes women composers also need to be championed.
Junior piano performance major Lynnae Eades attended the recital and was impacted by the use of technique and style within the performance. She says that while highlighting a variety of works, the faculty conducted in an authentic manner.
“It was exciting because it’s not repertoire that's done often, it’s not standard, so there’s always a feeling of unexpectedness and excitement when someone says they’re using extended techniques. Even if the techniques aren't difficult, it’s still thrilling and makes you feel like you're watching something innovative and original,” said Eades.
When Olson and Holritz met for the first time, Olson realized Holritz had been compiling a spreadsheet of various female composers that wrote for different chamber groups. The duo decided to perform pieces written for soprano and flute, believing this recital would be the first step to displaying more of the unrepresented community’s talent to the Cleveland and Chattanooga area.
“It's important to listen and perform music that's written today, especially by marginalized composers, because these composers have a story, a worldview and something meaningful to say. We shouldn't view this music as cheap because it's new, it’s an effective way of learning about our culture and engaging in commentary about them,” said Eades.
Olson believes this recital bloomed from her desire to “mix things up.” Olson understands there is a lot of homogeneity in the system, and there is a need for more diversity of curriculum.
“We think of diversity as the people we attend, but what we need to understand is that the diversity we seek to attract must match the diversity of the curriculum,” said Olson.
Holritz believes this is just the beginning when it comes to giving a platform and showcasing the music of underrepresented people. She plans to have more concerts in the future.
“I love finding good music, especially living composers, no matter their background, ethnicity, and gender. It’s exciting to find new things and share that,” said Holritz.
With more representation of different compositions and composers, Olson and Holritz believe it will inspire many different types of people to play music and not be intimated.
“Music should reflect in humanity, and humanity should reflect in music,” Dr. Olson said.
Senior Reporter Kristin Shaffer contributed to this article.
