Meet Valarie Morris|
Over the last 20 years Valarie Morris has composed a large
body of music, ranging from solo
works to quartets and quintets to works for symphonies. Her sheet music and music books as well as her recordings are available from Sandscape Publications, stores across the U.S. and in Canada, and online sites. Valarie's compositions are multi-dimensional when they are purely
instrumental, though she often combines her music with other art forms such
as words, dance, visual arts, or theatrical arts. Mood exploration and the ability to create visual images with sounds are some of the special attributes of Valarie's music.
Resistance, a musical by M. Emily Einson and V. Morris
The Gloaming, Oh My Darling
If You Ignore It, It Will Go Away
With actors and vocalists (recordings available):
Her tape stories (sound effects, music, and words) include The Hatbox, ZooScapes, The Operating Room, and Howard's Story.
Anthony Braxton was a major influence in Valarie's growth as a
composer and instrumentalist while she was earning her MA in Music Composition at Mills College. Valarie received many Hellman scholarships for private instrumental and composition instruction at Mills. She was fortunate
to play in Anthony Braxton's exciting ensembles, performing his avant
garde, creative, and challenging music. Other musicians who Valarie studied with in the San Francisco Bay Area are composer Bob Hughes, composer Gerald Mueller, pianist and composer Roberta Mandel, saxophonist Bob Smith, and bassist Herbie Lewis.
Valarie's favorite composers from the past are Charles Mingus, Erik
Satie, Kurt Weill, and Ethel Smyth. All these composers expressed music in
conjunction with other forms of communication. They were musicians,
conductors, writers, visuals artists, and political activists who commented
on the times with their art. They extended the boundaries of musical
expression.
Ms. Morris has performed on accordion for French, Italian, and international events as well as for corporate functions, parties, and other occasions. She has also performed on her wind instruments with large and small groups.
After her graduation from Mills College, Valarie continued composing
music and performing. In recent years, she has composed and published a large number of books of music including some instructional books. She has also composed for groups including:
Valarie is a former member of MOSAIC, a group of women composers who produced a series of concerts of member's music several times a year. Valarie has been a guest on several Bay Area radio shows that have aired her
music. She also has produced multimedia performances involving computers.
Valarie released her third album, reeding between the lines in 1999.
Over the last 15 years, Valarie Morris has provided music instruction for clarinet, accordion, saxophone, piano, flute, and composition. She offers a
comprehensive approach to give her students a rich musical experience. In workshops and private lessons, she includes reading, technique, theory, improvisation, expression, interpretation, and ear training. Ms. Morris is also an adjudicator for the California Music Educators Association (CMEA).
Valarie's compositions have been aired on NPR's "All Things Considered", performed at Yoshi's in Oakland, and sponsored by 20th Century FORUM. Valarie has played with big band, jazz, classical, musical theatre orchestras, and international music groups at various venues in the East Bay, San Francisco, and Washington.
For more information, please check our performance listings.
Also a writer, Valarie occasionally comes up with words to go with her music or music to go with her words. To contribute to the world's growing library of information about women composers, Valarie has written articles about women musicians, based on her interviews with them.
Valarie also has published her research findings about composer, conductor, writer, and political activist Ethel Smyth on this web site.
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A multi-instrumentalist, Valarie plays 
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