Episode 6.05 - Arlene Sierra - So Now People Are Listening

Composer Arlene Sierra recently sat down with the Ghost Light Podcast to discuss her residency with the symphony upcoming artist in residency with the Utah Symphony in April 2022. Arlene discusses her roots in electronic music and the journey back to composing acoustical music. Arlene studied electronic music composition at Oberlin, and found that the electronic music classes fascinating for her composition sensitivities. But although she loved the experience she looked forward to opportunities to get back in collaboration with live musicians. In April, Arlene will spend a few weeks in Utah working with the Utah Symphony in an American debut of Nature Symphony and a world premiere of Bird Symphony, a piece the Utah Symphony commissioned. She will also work with the Utah Youth Symphony in preparing a paired down version of Nature Symphony. Arlene was also asked about her perspective, as an American composer living and working abroad, about the representation shift in both living and female composers. You may know that Arlene and her husband are both composers. What’s their secret to keeping their personal and professional lives in balance? Find out on Episode 6 of the Ghost Light Podcast.