Joyce Solomon Moorman facts for kids
Joyce Solomon Moorman, born on May 11, 1946, is an American composer and educator. This means she writes music and teaches others.
About Joyce Solomon Moorman
Joyce Solomon Moorman was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on May 11, 1946. She grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. As a student, she went to public schools that were segregated.
She studied at several universities. She earned a bachelor's degree from Vassar College in 1968. Later, she received a master's degree from Rutgers University in 1971. She earned another master's degree from Sarah Lawrence College in 1975. Finally, she earned her highest degree, a doctorate, from Columbia University in 1982.
Moorman also shared her knowledge by teaching music. She taught at the Brooklyn Music School from 1982 to 1993. She also taught at many other colleges. These include Borough of Manhattan Community College, St. John's University, York College, LaGuardia Community College, and Brooklyn College.
Her talent was recognized with important awards. In 1976, she received a special grant to study jazz from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In 1998, she won a major music competition. It was called the Vienna Modern Masters Millennium Commission Competition.
Joyce Moorman's Musical Works
Joyce Solomon Moorman has created many interesting musical pieces. Her work often tells stories or explores important ideas.
One of her pieces, "The Soul of Nature," was first performed in 1990. The famous Detroit Symphony Orchestra played it.
She also composed a work called Race Riot. This piece was inspired by a famous artwork by Andy Warhol with the same name. Race Riot was first performed in 2000. It was played at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
In 2016, her work Cape Coast Castle had its first performance. The Richmond County Orchestra played it. Cape Coast Castle describes a historical place in Ghana. This place is known as The Door of No Return.
Moorman also wrote an opera called Elegies for the Fallen. An opera is a play where the words are sung to music. This opera is based on poems by Rashidah Ismaili. It remembers the Soweto Massacre, a sad historical event where many young people were hurt during a protest.
