The Red Wing High School Concert Choir (Scott Perau, director) commissioned the song “Steadfast, Beating” as their new graduation song, and it’s been a joy to create. Take a moment to watch a video made by one of the students, Nora Tift, to learn how the piece — made possible by a Red Wing Public Schools Foundation grant — came to be.
What to do when you feel there’s nothing you can do?
Make community by singing.
I’m participating in a community sing on Wednesday, November 6, the night after the election. We’ll be singing:
Songs of hope,
songs of care for one another,
songs of strength and resilience
and songs of healing.
I hope you can sing with your community soon too!
…oh, and don’t forget to vote! (Not sure where to vote? Visit this link to find your polling place.)
Border CrosSing has published my cantata “To Know the Path,” and it is now available for purchase on Graphite! Weaving ancient texts with new poems by Athena Kildegaard, “To Know the Path” is a cantata in 8 movements following the canonical prayer hours of the day. The journey follows the path of the sun throughout the day from dark to light and back to dark, away from home and towards home.
Thank you to my co-commissioners Amherst College Chorale Society, Arianne Abela, director; Border CrosSing and the Unity Singers, Ahmed Anzaldúa, director; and Central Presbyterian Church Choir, Jennifer Anderson, director.
“To Know the Path” is structured on the canonical hours of the day that stem from ancient Jewish prayer traditions. Early Christians continued the practice and monasteries formally structured them into eight separate hours. Each movement follows the path of the sun throughout the day, starting before dawn when it is still dark (Matins), and progressing to after it has set and is dark again (Compline).
Musically, I have been influenced by ancient chants from many different sources including Georgian Orthodox, Gregorian chant, Greek Orthodox, and Kabbalist Jewish prayers. I see these all as a call for communal prayer and devotion, a way to connect with each other.
Silence is a key part of this work and is built into each movement to create some meditative space for the musicians and listeners. This cantata uses prayer as a metaphor for opening our eyes (awareness) to knowing the path, and our willingness to get on the path with each other (compassion).
Like Medieval religious followers, we must imagine ourselves into the shoes of the migrants and refugees around the world. These words are my prayer for understanding and welcome and for the dignity we all deserve.
– Athena Kildegaard
“Linda’s music is both profound and immediately accessible. I am inspired by her search for deeper meaning and relevance in everything she does.”
— Ahmed Fernando Anzaldúa
These past months have been filled with nature, quality time with family and friends, and COMPOSING! In the coming year, you’ll get to hear the fruits of my labor given voice through:
Seattle Bach Choir (WA), Daniel A. Mahraun, director. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the choir with a new setting of the ‘Credo’ with a text by Martin Luther for SATB and organ accompaniment.
Women’s Voices Chorus (NC), Laura Justus Sam, director. Commissioned to be part of their spring concert theme of ‘home and away’ this piece promises to spark joy and challenge this amazing community of singers.
Red Wing High School Choir (MN), Scott Perau, director. A new a cappella piece for graduation with lyrics based on input directly from choir students.
Commissions are how composers like me make their living, and I’m grateful for the artistic leadership of each of these ensembles for engaging me in this way. If you’re interested in commissioning me to write a piece tailor-made for your ensemble, please reach out!
Thanks to the State Arts Board, I have been awarded the opportunity to put together a new project with dance choreographer Jennifer Ilse, visual artist Vicky Radel, and poet Athena Kildegaard to develop a process to create public art for and in rural Minnesota communities. The project will address emotional themes that feel particularly potent to us at this time, and that we see expressed in our communities of older women in our own urban and rural areas. I am eager to use our four genres in conversation with one another to explore emotional themes in a way that connects us and our increasingly polarized communities.
During our one-week intensive, each of us will choose one of four emotional themes (yearning, worry, anger, and tumult), and create a piece of art in our own genre. Over the course of the week, we will pass our art to others in our quartet and create a new work in response to what is handed to us. In this way we will end with four four-part cycles of work in four mediums. At the end of the week we will have a public presentation in a venue in Morris, MN.
I can’t wait to work with Jennifer, Athena, and Vicky on such a meaningful and rewarding project!
I’m excited to hear the premiere of my piece A Mighty Strength based on a text by St. Brigid of Gael sung by Angelus at Augustana, directed by Natalie Campbell. Learn more here, and I look forward to publishing this piece to make it available to all!
Join me and lead commissioner Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs (ACYC), directed by Elizabeth Egger, in this consortium! A group of ACYC middle schoolers brainstormed ideas with me this summer. These wise young people want to tell a story surrounding the idea of “confusion.”
“The unknown is forever strange; the answers are never ordinary.”
In one package of $250, here’s what you’ll get:
All participants will be asked to sign a brief commissioning agreement. Reach out if you have any questions or want to join us!
I will be participating in the virtual ‘Inspired Choir Summer Summit’ along with many fellow composers July 24-26, and I hope that many of you can join me! This is a summit where you can learn from choral composers as they share their repertoire, inspirations, stories, and lessons. Learn more and reserve your free spot here.
On May 23, 2023, I will be releasing my first album and features all original songs that I’ve written over the years through commissions, my incredible experience as a part of the Nautilus Composer-Librettist workshop, and making music with dear colleagues. It started as a recording project during the height of the pandemic, when I saw many singers suddenly and devastatingly out of work. Choirs weren’t meeting. Concerts weren’t happening. Though I had the good fortune to be gainfully employed through my church, I still took a hit as my music sales, concerts, and premieres all dried up as well. Through help from grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and Ramsey County, I had the means to record many of my solo compositions that had been previously unrecorded.
This collection of songs is eclectic, and a good introduction to my range as a composer. Traditional art song (written to be sung in recital, typically with piano accompaniment and often set to a poem) is well represented, but I have also included pieces that would be comfortable in a jazz club, theater, or on stage. Most of the lyricists/poets have Minnesota connections, and I have been honored to have collaborated with many of them. There is a wealth of talent here in the Twin Cities, and I sought out the best and the brightest to make my music shine.
Poets and Lyricists
Athena Kildegaard and the recently departed Louis Jenkins each have a song cycle highlighted on the album. The five writers that participated in the Composer-Librettist studio with Linda, Alan Berks, Jeremiah Gamble, Alayna Jacqueline, Katie Ka Vang, and Kathleen Tucker are also represented along with Arthur Upson, Marjorie Pickthall, and Lola Ridge.
Singers and Collaborative Pianists
Laurel Armstrong, Gary Briggle, Corissa Bussian, Daniel Greco, Roy Heilman, Georgia Jacobson, Maria Jette, Linh Kauffman, Clara Osowski, and KrisAnne Weiss, singers. Jill Dawe, Mary Jo Gothmann, Kathy Kraulik, Carson Rose Schneider, and Sonja Thompson, collaborative pianists.
Join me in celebrating on May 23rd! Click HERE to reserve your spot and HERE to RSVP via Facebook.
I’m looking forward to showcasing my work alongside my colleague Catherine Dalton at the national ACDA conference in Cincinnati. If you plan to attend the conference, I would love to see you there!
A bit about the showcase:
Are lyrics at the heart of your programming? Listen, read along, and discover insights that will fuel your upcoming music selections. Join us as we provide a glimpse into how we source and set meaningful texts in our distinctive compositions as you find new ways to engage your choirs and audiences! You will receive a QR code with access to all the scores and recordings in the session.
Wed, Feb 22, 4pm
Duke Energy Convention Center, Rooms 260-262
Learn more here.
