Sally Johnston Reid facts for kids

Sally Johnston Reid (born January 30, 1948 – died December 21, 2019) was a talented American composer and oboist. An oboist is someone who plays the oboe, a musical instrument. She taught music for many years at Abilene Christian University. Sally Reid wrote many different kinds of music, including pieces for small groups of instruments (chamber music), piano, singers, bands, and even electronic music. She also created a short opera called Healing in 1986.

A big part of her career was helping women in music. She was a leader who helped the International Alliance for Women in Music grow and become more well-known. She was also a pioneer in using digital technology to create music.

About Sally Johnston Reid

Sally Johnston was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, on January 30, 1948. She earned her Ph.D. degree from the University of Texas in Austin.

Her Teaching Career

Sally Reid started teaching music at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas in 1969. By 1979, she became the head of the Music Department there. Later, in 2008, she became the head of the Department at Lipscomb University.

Awards and Recognition

Sally Reid won several important awards for her music. She received a composition prize from Mu Phi Epsilon, which is a music fraternity. She also won many awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). In 1998, she won first prize at the Fifth International Festival of Women Composers, held at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Helping Women in Music

Sally Reid was very dedicated to supporting women composers. From 1991 to 1995, she was the editor of the International League of Women Composers (ILWC) Journal. She was also one of the main people who helped combine this group with the International Alliance for Women in Music in 1995.

She used her skills as a web developer to create a website for the International Alliance for Women in Music. She also organized others to help build an online resource center. This center linked to women's museums, women's organizations, and biographies of women composers. It was a great help to anyone interested in music by women.

In 1996, she attended the Fiuggi Citta International Music Festival in Italy. She was the only American composer asked to write music for the event. She wrote her Fiuggi Fanfare for the symposium there. At the symposium, she gave a presentation called Women in Music on the World Wide Web. This talk promoted the website she had created to highlight women in music. She also managed the email list for the International Alliance for Women in Music.

From 1995 to 1996, she helped edit the newsletter for the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States. Later, she became the president of the International Alliance for Women in Music from 1999 to 2000. In the year 2000, her composition Jesus, Redeemer, Messiah was performed in Rome’s Vatican Audience Chamber. This was part of the Roman Catholic Church’s Jubilee 2000 celebration.

Sally Reid's Musical Works

Sally Reid's music has been performed in many places across the United States and Europe. Her compositions include music for large bands (symphonic band), for smaller groups of instruments (chamber ensembles), and music for plays (incidental music). She also wrote electronic music, vocal music (for singers), and music for piano. Some of her pieces even combined traditional instruments with electronic sounds.

Selected Compositions

Here are some of her well-known works:

• Healing (1986): A short opera for a small group of performers.
• A Carousel Fantasy (1993): Written for a brass quintet (five brass instruments) and a synthesized Wurlitzer band organ.
• Note the Silence (1975): For a singer and a chamber ensemble.
• Fiuggi Fanfare (1998): Composed for a saxophone quintet (five saxophones).
• On a Day of White Trees (1998): For a mezzo-soprano (a type of female singer) and a B♭ clarinet.