Janika Vandervelde facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janika Vandervelde
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Ripon, Wisconsin, U.S.
|
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire; University of Minnesota |
| Occupation | Composer; Educator; Pianist |
| Known for | Choral compositions |
|
Notable work
|
O Viridissima Virga, Genesis II, Seven Sevens, Jack and the Beanstalk |
Janika Vandervelde (born in 1955) is an American composer, pianist, and music teacher. She is known for creating music that often explores themes about women and nature. Her work has earned her many awards. She writes music for orchestras, choirs, and stage performances. She also teaches others how to compose music.
Contents
About Janika Vandervelde
Janika Vandervelde was born in Ripon, Wisconsin. She grew up in a nearby town called Green Lake. She started playing the horn and piano when she was only five years old. By the time she was a teenager, she began writing her own music.
Her Education and Teaching Career
Janika studied music education at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. Later, she moved to Minnesota and earned a special degree called a doctorate in composition in 1985. She learned from famous teachers like Dominick Argento and Eric Stokes.
She has taught music at the University of Minnesota School of Music. She also teaches regularly at Hamline University and the Perpich Center for Arts Education. This center is a special high school for students who love the arts.
Music for Young Composers
Janika Vandervelde wrote a special teaching program called Music by Kids for Kids. This program helps young people learn how to compose music using computers and MIDI keyboards. The American Composers Forum published this program. She also worked as an associate conductor for an orchestra and as a music director at a church.
Janika's Musical Works
Janika Vandervelde is especially famous for her choral music. Choral music is written for groups of singers called choirs. Many well-known groups, like Chanticleer and the Dale Warland Singers, have asked her to write music for them. Famous conductors, including Sir David Willcocks, have also performed her pieces.
Music for Different Groups
She has composed more than 100 pieces of music. These include works for orchestras, choirs, and smaller groups of musicians called chamber ensembles. She has also written music for solo performers. Janika has created two operas, which are plays set to music. These operas are called Hildegard (from 1989) and Seven Sevens (from 1993).
Music for Young Audiences
Janika Vandervelde has written a lot of music specifically for young audiences. One of her special projects is Adventures of the Black Dot. This is a "choral storybook" for children, which means it tells a story through singing. Judy McGuire wrote the story, and Kari Margolis helped stage it.
Her recent projects include choral music for a dance show called The Student. She also created a long electronic sound piece for another dance show called Diana Takes a Swim. You can find Janika Vandervelde's music published by several companies, including Hothouse Press and Boosey & Hawkes.
Awards and Recognition
Janika Vandervelde has received many awards for her work as a composer. She has won multiple Bush Artist Fellowships and McKnight Foundation Composer Fellowships. These awards help artists continue their creative work. She also received the Lili Boulanger Award from The Women's Philharmonic in San Francisco.
