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Teresa LeVelle was born in 1966 in
Wichita, Kansas and raised near Winfield, Kansas. She holds a
Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University in composition, a
Master of Music degree from Bowling Green State University, Bowling
Green, Ohio, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Southwestern
College in Winfield, Kansas. While at these institutions, her
principal composition studies were with Claude Baker, Frederick Fox
and Marilyn Shrude. Her music is performed throughout the United
States and internationally. She was the 1996 winner of the Indiana
University Dean's Prize for Composition with her work, Concerto for
Violin and Chamber Orchestra, commissioned by New Zealand violinist
Mark Menzies.
Teresa LeVelle actively pursues collaboration with emerging
performers. She values the opportunity to work closely with
performers during each stage of the creative process (commission,
composing, premiere and beyond). Through this approach, she has
received various commissions, including The Shadowlands: concerto
for soprano saxophone and string quartet, for David Dees (World
Premiere at the XII World Saxophone Congress in Montreal, Canada),
and Kanza (flute, soprano saxophone, and cello) for Lisa Garner
(World Premiere at Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall).
Community and audience outreach is an important part of her musical
philosophy. Teresa understands the importance of educating
audiences about all aspects of composing and collaboration in the
twenty-first century. Besides speaking to many community
organizations, she has been a featured composer on the Toledo New
Music Festival, Mid West Composers Symposium, Crossroads of
Traditions: The Second Inter-American Composition Workshop, and The
Yellow Barn Festival (Composition Intensive) in Putney, Vermont.
Growing up on a farm in Kansas was instrumental to her creative
process. As a child of the prairie, Teresa gained a unique
understanding of how time unfolds in both music and nature.
Philosophically, she believes that truth in the natural world can
be represented through organized sound in the concert hall. In her
music, this approach is heard in the use of silence and rapidly
changing musical moods. Both of these effects are representative of
the ever changing conditions of the prairie.
As an educator, Teresa LeVelle values both group and individual
instruction. She strives to present highly integrated presentations
that inspire and motivate. Currently, she is Assistant Professor of
Music at Whittier College, Whittier, California. |
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