World Premiere of Compositions by Sisseton Youth to Be Performed by South Dakota Symphony

Musical compositions from seven participants of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra's Music Composition Academies will feature on a concert that is free to the public, played by the musicians of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, on Thursday, September 12, 2019 in Sisseton, SD.

As part of the SDSO's Lakota Music Project, the academies began in 2017 and brought together high school musicians from Sisseton, Pine Ridge, Oelrichs, Mission, and Rapid City for week-long periods each summer. Now in its third year, the Academies welcomed professional composers Theodore Wiprud, Jeffrey Paul, and Michael Begay who all worked with the young composers in both group workshops to awaken creativity, and individual composing sessions to encourage the music in their minds. Each student worked to compose a piece of music for either string quartet or wind quintet. The September 12 performance will be the world premiere of the young composers' music.

"Everyone wants to know, how can these kids compose original chamber music in just 4 days? It's actually pretty simple: when we truly listen to what they have to say and trust their musical instincts, they produce utterly individual pieces of music, true works of art. And to hear the musicians of the South Dakota Symphony bring them to life is a complete joy," says former Composer-In-Residence, Theodore Wiprud.

Teagan Bellonger, a senior at Sisseton High School, attended this year's Academy with a goal in mind; to bring awareness to the missing and murdered Indigenous women in the United States. "Homicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among Native American women under age 24," says Bellonger. "I want to give a voice to our women who were silenced".

The Music Composition Academy Concert is Thursday, September 12 at 7:00 pm at the Sisseton Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit www.sdsymphony.org.

This Academy was made possible by the Sisseton Arts Council and their determined team of community volunteers.