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Interview with Nadine Whitfield by Amy Harris Fall, 1999 |
| Nadine Whitfield grew up in Walnut Creek, CA. With music always coursing through her veins, she has
studied long and worked hard to share her talent with others. Musical pursuit began for Nadine at age six, with piano lessons taught by her mother. Nadine and her two younger sisters took violin lessons starting when they were quite young, and when Nadine expressed interest in the saxophone, her father offered his instruction. Nadine Whitfield attended public schools in the Mount Diablo Unified School District. She played with various concert and honors bands. Her fi rst musical compositions were for her highschool jazz combo, a vocal solo, “Blue Skies” in 1983 and “Stage Two” in 1984. Nadine was involved with musical theatre in highschool as well as community musicals in Walnut Creek and appearanc es with the Diablo Light Opera Company, playing woodwinds and the bass. Continuing her education at Los Madanos College, Nadine received an AA there and went on to receive her BA from Cal State Hayward. After college, Ms. Whitfield arranged musical selections at a local music camp, for the Young Peoples String Orchestra, and for a musical review at Northgate Highschool. She also conducted four musical productions with the Pittsburgh Community Theatre — “Grea se,” “Annie,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” and most recently “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” for which she received a Shellie Award from the Regional Center for the Arts in Walnut Cre ek CA in 1999. In addition to playing piano, violin, saxophone, and bass, Nadine also studied and plays the bassoon, clarinet, guitar, and the English handbells. She has played with symphony orchestras, jazz ensembles, and rock bands. T his eclectic background is apparent in her composing style, which is mostly tonal and features elements of jazz, world music, and classical. “Often I approach composing from the perspective of the individual performer - in other wo rds, I try to write music that is fun to play and connects emotionally at some level.” Puccini, Debussy, Ravel, and Libby Larsen are some of Nadine’s favorite composers. When asked what inspired her, Nadine told me that “ having a deadline is a good inspiration.” Being commissioned to write music creates an exciting mission and that need to produce music is an inspiration in itself. Among her works is a piece called “Ocean” which was perfo rmed at the Festival of Voices by the Oakland Symphony Chorus in 1994. In 1996, the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra performed her “Memoria” in a Concert Series. Nadineís favorite of her pieces is “Bronzewood” and was performed in 1992 by the SONOS Handbell Ensemble and was broadcast live on Berkeley’s public radio station, KPFA. In 1996, Nadine participated in a six-week Composer's Seminar at New York University, during which she composed “Vignettes ,” which was performed in New York as a world premier. Today, Nadine lives in Oakland, CA. When she is not composing, she works as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. (Or maybe she is able to do the two simultaneously, regretfully, I did not inquire.) Among her goals for the future are writing music for live theatre, a piece for a full orchestra, and working on a film-scoring project. (She is excited by the idea of fusing video and sound.) Although Na di ne calls herself a “pen and paper composer,” she appreciates the utility of the computer and seeks to incorporate it more into her process of musical composition. My final question to Nadine was “What is like to be a woma n composer? Does it present any obstacles or offer any rewards?” Nadine told me that she, as a woman composer, is inspirational. “People see me as a role model, that’s a positive aspect.” She could not think of any d isadvantages that she experiences as a female composer and does not feel that she has a problem being taken seriously. She would prefer to be known as a composer, not a woman composer; “I’d rather let the music speak for itself,” s he concluded. |
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| BIBLIOGRAPHY 1983 “Blue Skies” (vocal solo) 1984 “Stage Two” (jazz combo) 1985 “Song and Dance for French Horn and Percussion” 1986 7;AYU” (string quartet) 1987 “WIPIT” (brass quintet) 1988 “Two Bits” (percussion ensemble” 1992 “Reach for the Prize” (youth chorus with MIDI track accompaniment) 1994 “Ocean” (chorus with English Handbells) 1996 “Vignettes” (flute, clarinet, viola, cello, percussion) |
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MAJOR PERFORMANCES
1988 CSUH Percussion Ensemble - “Two Bits,” world premier 1989 Livermore Chamber Music Series - “Song and Dance for French Horn 1992 Oakland Youth Chorus - “Reach for the Prize,” World Figure Skating 1994 Oakland Symphony Chorus - “Ocean,” Festival of Voices 1996 San Francisco Concerto Orchestra - “Memoria,” Old Saint Mary’s and Old First |
CONTACT INFORMATION Nadine Whitfield email: whitfld64@hotmail.com 510-435-0526 P.O.Box 2724 Danville, CA 94526 |