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.

Visit Oxford’s Expansive Choral Catalogue!Come to KC and Sing Next June!Choralosophy presented by Ludus. Visit Ludus.com/choralosophy for the cutting edge in fine arts ticketing and marketing solutions.

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

Clinician/Presenter Requests

Support the Show/Bonus Materials

Choralosophy Community Blog

Merch Store!Visit Kaleidescope Today! www.sightreadingfactory.com is the best literacy tool on the market today. Enter Choralosophy at checkout to get 10% off memberships for you AND your students!Be Sure to Find Choralosophy on TikTok!

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and FB!

@choralosophypodca Sign up for an annual membership and save over $50 by entering Choralosophy at checkout! Save 15% on monthly or annual subscriptions.Libby Larsen, born December 24, 1950 in Wilmington, Delaware, is one of America’s most performed living composers.Enter Choralosophy at Checkout for a 5% discount when you shop for folders, robes and other gear for your choir program! www.mymusicfolders.com and www.mychoirrobes.com

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.

Great deals, speedy shipping, and back to school sales at SheetMusicPlus!

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.

RyanMain.com is now expanding to a family of composers! Visit endeavormusicpublishing.com and of course, enter Choralosophy at checkout for a 10% discount!

     

       

View this profile on Instagram

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos