Sigma Alpha Iota

Winter 2020 2 PAN PIPES Dear Readers, I blinked and a new year rolled around. For a long time, the year 2020 was linked in my head with NAfME's "Vision 2020: The Housewright Symposium on the Future of Music Education." Now 2020 is NOW and that just seems a bit surreal. With that new year came the usual call for New Year's resolutions—trying to start and maintain good habits. One challenge that my husband and I both enjoyed (and were actually able to keep!) was listening to a new piece of music every day for thirty days. We listened to music of all genres from all over the world, including Native American hip-hop, children's opera, the soundtrack to a foreign film, winning Eurovision Song Contest songs, and music from a new jazz album. We liked the daily adventure in music so much, we've decided to continue our new "habit" for the next month. One resource I referenced a number of times during our listening challenge was the SAI Composer's Bureau database and yearly online update, available on SAI's national webpage at: https://www.sai- national.org/resources/composers-bureau.html It's a treasure trove of new music by contemporary American composers. This year's 71st Annual Composers Update accompanies this winter issue of PAN PIPES as an online publication and includes information on new commissions, premieres, and upcoming projects for many composers. I encourage you to read through the update and find something new to listen to or perform. As the years continue to tick away, we sadly must say farewell to our sisters from time to time. This issue shares memories of the late, great Jessye Norman and former NEB member Daryle Gardner- Bonneau. We also shares stories of how Sigma Alpha Iota members spent time around the globe continuing to learn about music education, music history, and music of different cultures. I am always amazed at the great experiences SAI musicians have and am so happy to share them here. As always, PAN PIPES welcomes input from our readers. If you are interested in sharing a story, interview, or potential topic, please contact me at SAIPanPipesEditor@gmail.com. SAI Roses, Christine Bruns, Editor Dear Members of Sigma Alpha Iota, As the Fraternity enters a new decade, we remember and reflect upon several impactful members that we lost at the end of the last decade and pay tribute to them in this issue of PAN PIPES. It truly was a sad day for Sigma Alpha Iota – and the world - when our own Jessye Norman passed on. In fall 2013, I was honored to represent our Fraternity at Jessye's concert in memory of Helen May in Washington, DC. Executive Director Ruth Sieber Johnson and I were entranced with the music performed that evening–-all by those Helen had mentored throughout the years–-including Jessye. The one thing that I will never forget about that evening was hearing Jessye sing Amazing Grace while she was seated in a chair on the stage. Her singing was effortless, floating in the air, bathing all in attendance with calm and peace. Several SAI collegiate members from local chapters attended the event as well. Jessye took time to talk to all of those sisters, taking pictures with them and treating them as if they were simply a fellow SAI member. I know those women will never be the same after that evening; none of us who attended will. For one so talented and amazing, she was just another sister that evening, proud to declare her membership in Sigma Alpha Iota. That is how I will always remember the wonderful Jessye Norman. The fraternity also unexpectedly lost one of our National Leaders at the end of 2019. Daryle Gardner-Bonneau was an incredibly intelligent, talented, and giving sister who served our Fraternity on the National Executive Board as NVP Finance and as Chairman of SAI Philanthropies, Inc. Daryle's many years of dedication to our Fraternity is a wonderful example of lifetime commitment. She was always warm and welcoming to all members of SAI and will be missed. As a way to honor these women and the fraternity they loved, we continue to further the purposes of SAI. Part of that is preparing for our next National Convention to be held in Greensboro, North Carolina, in July 2021. In this issue, you will find information about our Inter-American Music Awards (IAMA) Competition, as well as the biographies of our composer/judges, which includes Andrea Clearfield. Those who attended our 2018 National Convention will remember the incredible keynote speech Andrea gave. We thank her for agreeing to serve the fraternity in a different capacity, and we are looking forward to seeing her again in July 2021 to hear about her latest adventures and compositions. I hope you have already made plans to join me at our upcoming National Convention! Fraternally, Leslie Odom Miller, National President A WORD FROM THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT EDITOR'S NOTES

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