10 African American Female Composers to Program This Year. Dr. Tim Westerhaus – Northern Arizona University
This session invites us to listen. To listen to the prophetic words of and stories from the lives of inspiring composers, past and present. To listen to their musical voices and then experience their music by singing together. We’ll approach this focused opportunity to center compositional voices that have been underrepresented with a spirit of joyful discovery and humility. We will embark on a journey exploring the lives of several historical and modern Black American women composers, such as Florence Price, Eva Jessye, Undine Smith Moore, Lena Johnson McLin, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Ysayë Barnwell, Melanie DeMore, Zanaida Robles, and B. E. Boykin. We will sing music spanning a variety of styles and genres, from counterpoint to rounds and layered ostinatos. We’ll expand our programming palette with new and lesser-known Spirituals and non-idiomatic compositions as well as aural-based traditions of community singing. This exploration will include music to program in the upcoming year for concerts, contest, retreats, and sing-along community events. Music will include a variety of voicings, from unison to SATB, with a focus on educational opportunities.
Tim Westerhaus is passionate about transforming humankind through choral music that fosters empathy, builds inclusive community, and deepens understanding through diverse programming and collaborations. He seeks to advocate for singing among all ages and to engage choral beauty with contemporary issues relevant to society, justice, and culture in local and global communities. In 2021, he joined Northern Arizona University’s Kitt School of Music as Director of Choral Studies, conducting Shrine of the Ages Choir and directing the graduate choral conducting program. In Fall 2022, he will begin serving as Artistic Director of Choral Arts Northwest in Seattle and Master Chorale of Flagstaff.
From 2010 to 2021, he served as Director of Choirs and Vocal Studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He has served as President of the Northwestern Region of the American Choral Directors Association and on the boards of the Washington Music Educators Association and the National Collegiate Choral Organization. Dr. Westerhaus has conducted choirs in Europe, Colombia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Korea, and ensembles under his leadership have performed at regional ACDA and NAfME conferences. As a tenor, he sings professionally in the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus; he performs as a solo and collaborative pianist; and he leads baroque performances from the harpsichord. Dr. Westerhaus received his music degrees from the University of Saint Thomas, studying with Angela Kasper, and from Boston University, where studied with Ann Howard Jones.
An outdoor enthusiast, Tim enjoys running, cross-country skiing, and backcountry camping, whether in the Washington Cascades or Arizona San Francisco Peaks.