Tonsättarinna nr 117

Heather Sorenson

Internationella kvinnodagen och jag läser följande i DN:

”Trots att jämställdhet varit på agendan i drygt femtio år är jämställdhet inte uppnådd inom något av regeringens prioriterade områden. Det gäller makt, ekonomi, hälsa, hushållsarbete och utsatthet. Enligt jämställdhetsmyndighetens senaste fyraårsrapport går den tvärtom bakåt.”

Text: Jessika Ritzén

Är det inte anmärkningsvärt att något som varit på tapeten så länge inte har kommit framåt, utan istället verkar röra sig bakåt? Vi kanske behöver öka våra ansträngningar, vi behöver bli fler som reagerar på orättvisorna, och som höjer våra röster på olika sätt!

Mitt sätt är att lyfta fram kvinnliga tonsättare, och den här kompositören tipsade en av mina bloggföljare mig om. Jag tog kontakt med Heather Sorenson och ställde några frågor! Läs intervjun på engelska nedan.

Tell us something about yourself and your work! Do you make a living on composing?
Yes, I’m a self-employed, full-time composer. (Läs hela biografin på Heathers hemsida, länk nedan!)

A friend of mine told me that she had found your Requiem. I read on your website that it is written in honor of those who lost their lives during the pandemic. Was it hard to write this music? 
It was an emotional journey to write a piece which commemorated so much life and so much loss. 

Which piece did you write first? 
I wrote the last movement, Benedictus, first. 

In your opinion, what are the challenges when you write a larger piece of music, like a Requiem? 
I actually love writing large works. There needs to be continuity in proficiency, instrumentation, and overall theme.

The Requiem is a piece for choir and big orchestra, is there any version for a smaller group of instruments? 
Yes, there is a chamber orchestration available for 13 instrumentalists.

I see that you have written a lot of music. Do you write mainly for choir SATB? (I tried to find something for organ or for SSA/SSAA?) 
I write mostly for SATB choir, although I do have SSA/SSAA/TTBB works in print. I’m a pianist, so rarely do I write for organ.

What are your sources for inspiration? What does your creative process looks like? 
My faith journey is my inspiration for most of my music. I’m most creative and logical in the morning hours and I prefer to write in isolation.

Which of your pieces are you most proud of? 
Requiem is probably the work that was most meaningful to write. I feel like it accomplished its purpose.

What pieces would you recommend for an ordinary church choir? 
There is great diversity in church worship preferences, church size, and church resources. I’ve been in this industry for several decades and have learned that everyone is looking for something different, and church musicians find value in different pieces. I do have YouTube playlists that offer a wide selection of options by category.

Has any of your music been performed in Sweden? 
While my music is often performed internationally, I am not always contacted when people perform my music. Because of this, I’m unaware of Swedish performances of my works. I would be happy and honored for you to introduce my music to your region though!

Requiet är verkligen fin musik och noter finns att köpa på Hal Leonard. Jag delar också ett par andra fina spår med lite olika karaktär! Det finns bl.a. ett album med improvisationer. På youtube finns listor med körmusik att lyssna vidare på.

https://www.heathersorenson.com/default.aspx

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