Hello everyone!
And in a blink of an eye, September has zoomed by! I’ve skipped September because I had a baby on the last day of August, and I’m starting to get back into the groove of blogging. Here is October’s composer:
Composer for October…Wynn-Anne Rossi!
Background
Wynn-Anne Rossi is a composer, pianist and music educator. She has over 100 publications for piano, voice, chamber groups, and orchestra. She is an American who resides in Minnesota, USA. Rossi travels across America and overseas, giving workshops lectures, and masterclasses. Rossi offers composition residencies in Minnesota public schools: she teaches composition to students, and composes specifically for the class.
I attended Wynn-Anne Rossi’s “Me Talk Music!” workshop in March 2017. Her presentation was about how to approach composition in young children, especially those without a deep musical background. She starts them on developing their imagination through tone poems – descriptive, instrumental music. For example, a tone poem about a storm may feature little pitter patters of sound to mimic raindrops, followed with a booming bass for thunder, and perhaps a glissando to represent lightning.
Popular Pieces
Level 2: Atacama Desert (from “Musica Latina)
The Atacama desert begins in southern Peru and extends into Chile. It is notable as the driest desert in the world, with an average of 1mm of rain per year. Listen to the music below, and imagine a desolate yet majestic expanse:
Level 7: Arctic Moon (from “An Alaskan Tour”)
Here is an interview with Rossi about her publication “Musica Latina”:
Wynn-Anne Rossi’s music is modern yet evocative. Her music appeals to a wide audience of students, and they enjoy her accessible music.
Hannah's Piano Studio 