The 2021 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and Community Choral Workshop: Featuring Guest Composer Elaine Hagenberg

Elaine Hagenberg

On March 22-23, the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Department of Music & Theatre hosted their third College and Community Choral Workshop, bringing together high school and college choral students with choral professionals. The project was conceived and organized by Michael Boswell, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities. This year's guest artist was composer Elaine Hagenberg. The workshop was made possible by a 2021 Arts Project Support grant through Arts Illiana and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts. The project was also supported by a City of Terre Haute Arts Grant, a program of the Mayor’s Office.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the workshops were held virtually as Hagenberg and Michael Boswell, also a professional chorister, met with the choirs of Terre Haute North Vigo High School directed by Michelle Azar, Terre Haute South Vigo High School directed by Paul Ellison, and North Montgomery High School in Crawfordsville, directed by Sarah Kavanagh.

Members from the three high school choirs joined the SMWC Choirs in creating a virtual choir video of Hagenberg’s “O, Love” that will be released at the end of the Spring 2021 semester. 

Boswell introducing Hagenberg
to SMWC students and faculty 

"Every single one of us is creative." - Elaine Hagenberg

As Hagenberg greeted everyone, her cheerful disposition and passion for music stimulated an energetic environment. From sharing her journey of becoming a composer to what inspires her, students had the opportunity to be inspired by her words and works.

Initially, Hagenberg didn't plan on becoming a composer, but she had a long love for music. She sang in various choirs growing up and played piano as a rehearsal accompanist. As an accompanist, she unintentionally began studying scores, learning more about the format of choral pieces. In college, Hagenberg studied piano and participated in choir, occasionally having written songs, but nothing that she had ever considered getting published. In addition to her love of music and choral music in particular, Hagenberg loves poetry and being creative which is exhibited in all of her compositions.

Hagenberg greeting workshop attendees

As Hagenberg settled down to raise a family, she began delving into the world of composition as a creative outlet without having any intention or goal of working as a composer full-time. Eventually, she entered a composition competition and one of her pieces won. This set off a string of connections to eventually publishing her first work. Soon after, people were reaching out asking her for commissioned pieces and to teach clinics.

After talking about her background, students raised questions regarding Hagenberg's inspirations, particular pieces she has composed, and her creative process. Many questions were posed from the curious students. Hagenberg revealed that she is inspired in all areas of her life such as her life experiences, family, friends, travels, nature, photography, dance, poetry, etc. Whenever she is inspired by something, she considers this the beginning of a journey and discovery as she composes. "Words always, always, always, come first," Hagenberg explained when asked about her creative process. For her, words inform the music and determine every other part of the composition such as the contour of the melody, harmony, and accompaniment. By taking beautiful words and adding another layer, Hagenberg hopes to "paint a story" through her compositions. Hagenberg prefers to write through-composed pieces (or, continuous and non-sectional) to let the words and music tell the story in a more natural way. She typically starts by thinking of the melody related to the poetry she has chosen for the lyrics. Although her process isn't as visual, she does consider what images are conjured up based on her pieces to create videos featuring beautiful nature scenes to accompany her pieces.

As a pianist, Hagenberg also feels passionately about the role of the piano accompaniments in her pieces. Instead of acting as support and background to the singing, she considers her accompaniments to play a collaborative role. The piano often sets the scene in her compositions to draw in her audience. As a fan of Romantic composers such as Chopin and Brahms, Hagenberg likes to draw inspiration from their compositions. She hopes that her pieces have similar lush, full, and rubato sounds as the classical music that inspires her. Recently, she has also delved into including strings into her compositions, and she hopes to continue to branch out as a composer.

Hagenberg explaining her creative process

During the workshop, Hagenberg discussed a few of her pieces in particular, including "Song of Miriam", "As the Rain Hides the Stars", "Deep Peace", and "O, Love". For her composition, "Deep Peace", Hagenberg revealed that she often enjoys creating a "sound world", particularly when she is inspired by nature. Oftentimes, the "best stuff comes from far away" she explained. When she isn't working, moments of inspiration strike helping to create a soundtrack to her life that informs her compositions. Deeply personal and meaningful, Hagenberg's compositions seem to surround people with feelings of love and beauty. In addition to her commissioned works, Hagenberg has also written songs inspired by her children including "Goodnight, Love" and her own version of "This is My Father's World".

With everyone having different experiences throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Hagenberg was asked how her life had changed. Being unable to travel as she typically would, Hagenberg worked from home. As her home and work life were disrupted, Hagenberg adjusted just as everyone else did. She spent time with her children and worked on long-term projects that she hadn't gotten the opportunity to put as much time into with a normal work schedule. Hagenberg hopes her compositions "offer healing, hope, and beauty" that are a wonderful message in times of struggle or uncertainty.

Hagenberg answering students' questions

"What you see is what you get," Hagenberg explained. Upon being asked about her well-known status as a composer, Hagenberg revealed that she doesn't consider herself to be any different than everyone else. "Don't be my fan, be my friend," she said with laugh. Despite her popularity, Hagenberg stays humble and authentic, reveling in the connections she has made throughout her career thus far. 

As the workshop neared its end, Hagenberg shared some advice: "You don't know where life will take you, so have as many musical experiences as possible. Be open and willing to discover."

Blog Post Author: Autumn Wilson, SMWC music therapy major
Blog Editor: Sharon R. Boyle, Chair of the Department of Music and Theatre