Joan Szymko facts for kids

Joan Szymko (born in 1957) is an American musician. She is a talented composer, meaning she writes music. She also conducts choirs, which means she leads groups of singers. She is also a music educator, teaching others about music.

About Joan Szymko

Joan Szymko was born in Chicago in 1957. She loved music from a young age. She went to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. There, she studied how to lead choirs and how to teach music. She finished her studies in 1978.

After college, Joan moved to Seattle, Washington. She worked as a music teacher. She also continued to write her own music. And she led many different choirs.

In 1993, Joan took on a new role. She became the director of the Aurora Chorus in Portland, Oregon. A year later, in 1994, she started her own choir. This was a women's choir called Viriditas Vocal Ensemble.

Joan has written music for many exciting shows. She composed music for a Broadway musical called Do Jump!. This show was performed at the New Victory Theater. She also wrote music for a play by Jan Maher. It was called Most Dangerous Women.

What Music Has Joan Szymko Written?

Joan Szymko mostly writes music for two main areas. These are theater shows and choral groups. Choral groups are choirs that sing together. Here are some of her well-known musical pieces:

• All Works of Love
• Nothing But Mud (This piece uses words from a poem by William Orpen.)
• The Call
• Carpe Diem
• Ein grosser Gesang (This piece uses poems by Rainer Maria Rilke.)
• Entro en la vida (The words for this piece are by Teresa of Ávila.)
• The Freshness (This piece uses words by Rumi.)
• Hear Me! We Are One
• How Did the Rose (This piece uses words by Hafez.)
• I Dream a World (This piece uses a poem by Langston Hughes.)
• Illumina la tenebre (The words for this piece are by St Francis of Assisi.)
• It Takes a Village (This piece uses a famous saying from West Africa.)

Recorded Music

Joan Szymko's music has also been recorded. You can find her music on several CDs. Here are a few examples:

• Openings (released in 1998)
• 2010 IMEA Honors Chorus & All-State Chorus (released in 2010)
• Texas Music Educators Association 2008: All-State Women's and Men's Choir (released in 2008)
• Consecrate: the Place and Day to Music (released in 2007)
• Faces of a Woman (released in 2008)
• Cradle of Fire: A Tribute to the Women of World War II (released in 2004)