Liza likes listening to music of all kinds, including contemporary, classical, rap, r&b, jazz, chick folk, bad emo rock, bluegrass, indie bands, gagaku, and other things. She likes to have time to really listen to a particular sound, and she is interested (although not exclusively) in what it's like when sound changes slowly, if at all. Liza also likes singing like a rockstar, reading, keeping diaries, buying and wearing new hats, hip-hop scholarship, Boston sports teams, finding cool new places, wandering around the city, and going to shows and concerts given by her many talented musical friends. Her music draws on much of this. She hopes that you like it.
Liza White writes music that combines influences from all over the musical spectrum, whether to evoke inner peace and order, explore rhythmic drive, or express reverence for her urban surroundings and the overall beauty of life. Her works have received performances by leading ensembles such as ALEA III under the direction of Gunther Schuller, the University of Minnesota Wind Ensemble under the direction of Craig Kirchhoff, and the Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble under the direction of Eric Hewitt. Liza has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the 2007 Craig and Janet Swan Prize and an Emil and Ruth Beyer Award and a Hatz Special Recognition Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs. She has been invited to attend the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, California Summer Music, the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice, and the Composers’ Conference at Wellesley College, where she was commissioned to write a piece for participants of the adjacent Chamber Music Center. In the coming months, Liza will hold residencies at the MacDowell Colony and the Hambidge Center.
Liza received her Master of Music degree in Composition from the New England Conservatory and her Bachelor of Music degree in Composition and Trombone Performance from Boston University. This fall, she will begin doctoral study at the University of California at Berkeley.
