Sigma Alpha Iota

18 Winter 2022 • sai-national.org By Dr. Ashley Barret and Kirstyn Hackett F inally in-person concerts have resumed and are making an IMPACT here at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), and beyond. e Women's Wind Ensemble presented their Women of Note recital on October 28, 2021. Featuring four world premieres, and combining forces with members of the Kappa Gamma chapter, we are excited to share our story and the resulting live stream video with the SAI membership. The WWE The WWE In 2017, the Women's Wind Ensemble (WWE) was formed with the intent of showcasing various combinations of small and medium-sized wind chamber ensembles. e WWE created an opportunity for both new and long-time friends and colleagues to collaborate in the presentation of both classical standards as well as new works created for the ensemble. Comprised of all female musicians, the WWE embraces opportunities to feature works by women composers and to encourage all young musicians to find their own creative voices. Members of the WWE include: Erika Boysen, flute (Kappa Gamma Advisor; Friend of the Arts, Kappa Gamma Chapter, 2016); Mary Ashley Barret, oboe (Kappa Gamma Advisor; Alpha Mu Chapter, 1982); Kelly Burke, clarinet (Sigma eta Chapter, 1982); Becky Libera, bassoon; Susan Fancher, alto saxophone (Beta Chapter, 1983); and Inara Zandmane, piano. The Project The Project e idea for the Women of Note: Composition Competition was birthed in the fall of 2019. Desiring more new music that supported our mission, the WWE embarked on a project of commissioning four new works by young American female identifying composers. To allow as many submissions of interest as possible, we waived all application fees. e winning composers were encouraged to focus their works on the women who surfaced during the campaign for Women on the Twenty Dollar Bill (https:// www.womenon20s.org/candidates). e campaign included: Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Wilma Mankiller, Alice Paul, Betty Frieden, Shirley Chisholm, Sojourner Truth, Rachel Carson, Barbara Jordan, Margaret Sanger, Patsy Mink, Clara Barton, Francis Perkis, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony. e suggested length of piece was ten minutes and could use any combination of four or more instruments from our group. e performance would be to a full house in the Tew Recital Hall at UNCG on March 20, 2021. We received over 70 applications! The Process The Process And then COVID struck. We were still busy reviewing scores in the spring of 2020 when it felt like the earth stopped and life as we knew it changed. e WWE stayed true to our original timeline, and four winners were announced in May of 2020: Alexis Lamb, Shuying Li, Emily McPherson, and Harriet Steinke. With financial support from the She Can, We Can project (https://bit.ly/3s1tZe5), the UNCG School of Music, and an SAI Philanthropies, Inc. Impact Project Grant., we were ready to continue forward to the next phase—work with these composers, learn the pieces, and prepare for a Spring 2021 concert of premieres. It wasn't until November that we realized we would not be able to give a live concert to a large crowd. As part of our goal was to perform to a full crowd and invite as many community members as possible to this free concert, a decision was made, and we pushed our finish line towards Fall of 2021. The Final Product The Final Product On October 28 th , 2021, the WWE played to a very appreciative audience on the campus of UNCG. Although we were missing Erika Boysen due to maternity leave, Dr. Tim Hagen kindly joined us on flute and piccolo. anks to live streaming, we were able to reach a larger audience, and will continue to reach out and share this wonderfully powerful program. Our composers shared these words about their music. Is is All? , by Emily McPherson (https:// emilymcpherson-composer.com/), was commissioned by the Women's Wind Ensemble at the University of North Carolina Greensboro to be premiered at "She Can, We Can: Beyond the Women's Suffrage Centennial." McPherson states: "I was inspired by the work of Betty She Can, We Can: She Can, We Can: Beyond the Women's Suffrage Centennial Concert Cposers

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