Alice Shields facts for kids

Alice Shields (born February 18, 1943) is an American composer of classical music. She is known as one of the first creators of electronic music. Shields is famous for her unique operas that mix musical styles from different parts of the world.

Her music is inspired by art forms like the Bharata Natyam dance-drama from India and the Noh Theater from Japan. Her works have been performed at major events and by famous groups. These include the New York City Opera and the Venice Biennale, a famous arts festival in Italy.

Learning About Music

Alice Shields studied music at Columbia University, where she earned three degrees, including a doctorate in music composition. She learned from important composers like Vladimir Ussachevsky and Otto Luening, who were also pioneers in electronic music.

Later, she became the Associate Director of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. This was one of the first and most important studios for electronic music in the United States. She also taught about the psychology of music, which is the study of how music affects our minds and emotions.

A Career in Music and Performance

Before becoming a full-time composer, Shields was a professional opera singer. She performed in many famous opera houses, including the New York City Opera and the Washington National Opera.

In the 1990s, she studied South Indian Bharata Natyam dance-drama. She learned to perform a special kind of rhythmic chanting called nattuvangam. This experience with Indian music and drama has influenced all of her compositions since the year 2000. She has also studied Japanese Noh theater, which has inspired some of her more recent works.

You can find Alice Shields' music published by the American Composers Alliance and on record labels like New World Records and Albany Records.

Exploring Her Musical Works

Alice Shields has written many different kinds of music, from operas to pieces for single instruments. Her work often tells stories from ancient myths, history, and different cultures.

Operas with a Modern Twist

Shields is well-known for her operas, which often mix old stories with new ideas and sounds.

• SHAMAN (1987) – This opera is based on Native American traditions. It uses singers, instruments, and pre-recorded electronic sounds to tell its story.
• APOCALYPSE (1994) – A large-scale opera that uses texts from Greek, Gaelic, and Sanskrit. It includes singers, dancers, and electric guitar, and the dance style is based on Indian Bharata Natyam.
• CRISEYDE (2010) – This opera retells a famous story by the English poet Chaucer. Shields rewrote the story to give a stronger voice to the female main character. It can be sung in the original Middle English or in modern English.
• ZHAOJÜN – The Woman Who Saved the World (2018) – In this opera, an ancient Chinese hero named Zhaojün travels to the 21st century. Her goal is to convince a modern world leader to stop destroying the environment and create peace.

Music for Instruments and Voices

Shields also writes music that combines live performers with electronic sounds.

• Rhapsody for Piano and Tape (1983) – A live pianist plays along with a recording of electronically changed piano sounds.
• Azure (2003) – A piece for flute, violin, viola, cello, and a pre-recorded audio track. It is based on a traditional Indian musical scale called a raga.
• Kyrielle (2005) – This piece for a solo violin and electronic sounds is based on ancient Gregorian Chants.
• The Wind in the Pines (2018) – This work is based on a Japanese Noh play. It features a soprano singer and a mix of old and modern instruments, like the recorder and the oud.

Pioneering Electronic Music

As one of the first composers to work with electronic sounds, Shields created many pieces using only recorded and computer-generated audio.

• The Transformation of Ani (1970) – In this piece, Shields uses recordings of her own voice. She chants and sings texts from the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead.
• Farewell to a Hill (1975) – This was the first quadraphonic (a type of four-channel surround sound) recording of electronic music. It mixes the sounds of bells, ducks, and electronics.
• Vegetable Karma (1999) – This piece combines sounds from hip-hop music with an Indian raga scale.
• White Heron Dance (2017) – This electronic work is based on a Japanese ritual dance. It explores the idea of a person feeling connected with the sounds of nature.