Alice Dearden

Composer and Teacher

Heart and head are intertwined in creating music. My feelings often inspire me to begin a piece, but the challenge of ensuring it is internally consistent calls on all my puzzle-solving skills. Sometimes, though, I just find a cool sound and wonder what I can do with it.

In my choral works, I engage strongly with text, seeking to amplify, illuminate, or wrestle with its narrative and emotional arcs… which is a fancy way of saying I try to treat the words with respect.

Here’s what others say about my compositions:

“…a beautiful work full of splendid lyricism.”

“It was such a privilege to be given such beautiful music and words and a special honour to be part of the world premiere”

“This is so jaunty and fun. I love it so much!”

“Beautiful music! Love it!”