Regina Hansen Willman facts for kids

Regina Kastberg Hansen Willman (born October 5, 1914 – died October 28, 1965) was an American composer. A composer is someone who writes music. Regina was born in Burns, Wyoming.

She married Allan Arthur Willman in 1942. They later divorced in 1956 but remained good friends throughout her life.

Regina Willman studied music at several universities. She earned her first music degree (a Bachelor of Music) from the University of Wyoming in 1945. Later, she received a Master of Music degree from the University of New Mexico in 1961.

She also learned from famous composers like Darius Milhaud at Mills College and Roy Harris at Colorado College. Her studies took her to many other places, including the University of California, Berkeley, the Juilliard School in New York, the Sorbonne in Paris, France, and the Lausanne Conservatory in Switzerland.

From 1956 to 1957 and again from 1960 to 1961, Willman was a special composer-in-residence at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico. This meant she had a place to live and work while focusing on her music. Her original papers and musical notes are kept safe at the University of Wyoming.

What Kind of Music Did She Write?

Regina Willman wrote many different types of music. She created pieces for ballets, orchestras, pianos, and even music for plays and singers.

Music for Dance (Ballet)

Regina Willman composed music for ballet, which is a type of dance.

• Doves: This piece was written for the piano.
• Legend of the Willow Plate (1949): This was a piece for a small group of musicians called a chamber orchestra.

Music for Big Orchestras

She also wrote music for large orchestras, which include many different instruments.

• Anchorage Symphony: A piece for a symphony orchestra.
• Design for Orchestra 1 (1948): One of her orchestral designs.
• Design for Orchestra 2 (1953): Another orchestral piece.

Music for Piano

Regina Willman composed several pieces specifically for the piano.

• Little Tailor Suite: A collection of piano pieces.
• Steel Mill (1941): This piece was written for two pianos playing together.
• Three Compositions for Piano: Another set of piano works.

Music for Plays (Theatre)

She also wrote music to go along with plays.

• Music for Medea: This music was for a play based on an ancient Greek story by Euripides.

Music for Singers (Vocal)

Regina Willman wrote many pieces for voices, sometimes with instruments.

• Ante Vero Longam (1961): This piece was for a tenor singer (a high male voice), a men's chorus, an oboe, and a piano. The words were by Lambertus.
• Apres le Deluge (1961): This was for a high voice and piano, with words by Arthur Rimbaud.
• First Holy Sonnet: A piece for a voice and a string trio (three string instruments). The words were by John Donne.
• O Sleep Now (1956): Written for a medium voice and piano.
• Vocalise: A piece for voices and low string instruments.