Highlighting Our Women Composers‘ Commissioning Program & 20th Anniversary
Melodia’s Fall Concert caps our 20th Anniversary year with the World Premiere performance of a work by Dr. Zanaida Stewart Robles, titled “From the Stone Age.“
The concert, “The Circle Never Ends,” will be performed live in New York City on November 19 at 3 pm, and broadcast virtually on December 16 at 7 pm.
In this program, Melodia is honored to introduce the work Robles, a California native, to New York City audiences for the first time. A vocalist, conductor and educator in Southern California, as well as an award-winning composer, Robles was selected to write an original composition through the Melodia 20th Anniversary Women Composers’ Competition.
Robles composition, ‘From the Stone Age,’ is a choral work for treble voices, written to a beautiful poem by Alice Corbin Henderson (1881-1949), an activist for the land and Native American rights. The poem is about the intrinsic joy of the natural world, unadorned, as told from the perspective of a stone that — once carved into a god — is celebrating a return to its true self as an element in space and time.
The composition shows, Robles says that “you are precious and valuable because you are here and were created. You are connected to something greater than anything that would try to define you or box you in.”
Robles began her musical journey early, crafting creative melodies and lyrics to songs as early as age six. She initially thought of herself as more of a singer than a composer. “As the composition field has evolved to include more diversity, it’s been an exciting journey to see myself reflected in the field and has become a community where I can belong,” she says.
Robles describes her composition process as researching, improvising, and figuring out what harmonies can bring out the text and what rhythms can bring out the emotion. “I’m trying to put it all together in a way that will be gratifying for the performer,” says Robles.
In addition to the choral voices, “From the Stone Age,” features piano, flute and cello, which will be performed live by Allison Sniffin, Francesca Ferrera and Jules Biber, respectively. Cynthia Powell, Founding Artistic Director of Melodia, will conduct.
Robles, who describes herself as a “fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion in music education and performance,” has been the recipient of many awards, including the LA. Artist of the Future Awards, two Charles Dolo Coker Jazz Awards, the NAACP ACT-So National Gold Medal for Music Composition, and others. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from California State University, Northridge, and is the upper school choir director at Harvard Westlake School in California. Robles has vocal credits in more than a dozen Hollywood films, including “Glee,” “Tinkerbell Pirate Fairy,” “Godzilla,” “Minions,” “Star Wars, The Last Jedi,” “Frozen 2,” and “Mulan.”
She is a member of the American Composers Forum LA, ASCAP, Chorus America, American Choral Directors Association, Southern California Vocal Association, The National Association of Negro Musicians, Sigma Alpha Iota, Pi Kappa Lambda and the Golden Key Honor Society.
Melodia Women’s Choir of New York City is New York’s leading choir for treble voices, and is now celebrating its 20th Anniversary of bringing exciting works for women’s voices to the public, including underexplored works and new commissions by women composers. This is the 10th Commission of a woman composer by Melodia. Composer Emily Mason was also selected for a 20th Anniversary Commission, and her commissioned work will be performed in the Spring 2024 concert.
Melodia is supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York City Council, and in a proclamation in Spring 2023 presented by Council Member Erik Bottcher, New York City Council praised Melodia for “for raising women’s voices and fostering greater harmony in New York City.”
Melodia’s Fall Concert, “The Circle Never Ends,” will be November 19, 2023, at 3 pm, at Holy Apostles Church, 296 Ninth Avenue at 28th Street. A Virtual Concert will be launched on December 16 at 7 pm.
You may watch a video of the concert for free after the performances on YouTube, here.
Listen to a podcast conversation with Zanaida Robles and Lynnie Godfrey about the Melodia concert on BlogTalkRadio, here, and a related video interview on Zoom, here.
Read more about Dr. Zanaida Stewart Robles at her website.
Melodia Women's Choir 