“There were a whole bunch of these women who were publishing music during their liftetime in 17th-century Italy. I find it's important that young women know that they were composers other than Hildegard and Fanny Hensel who were writing. These women's voices were buried for so many years, and yet they were writing in the same styles as their male contemporaries. We can learn about our times now by looking to the past and to think critically about who we're lifting up and whose voices we are amplifying now based on how things have progressed over history.”

Dr. Meredith Bowen is an Assistant Professor of Choral Music at Michigan State University where she teaches graduate choral literature, conducting at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and conducts the auditioned treble ensemble, Mosaic. Bowen works to expand the choral canon and amplify marginalized voices by editing, restoring, and publishing editions of historical music by women. She is an active guest conductor, presenter, and clinician and is founding singer and Artistic Administrator for mirabai, a professional women’s ensemble dedicated to amplifying women’s voices through commissioning, performing, and recording. Her editions of music by 17th-century composers are published by Boosey & Hawkes and MusicSpoke. Prior to joining MSU, Bowen was the Director of Choral Studies at Radford University in Radford, VA, taught public school in Lansing, MI, and led a variety of community choirs throughout MI. She earned her B.S. in Music Education from West Chester University, and both an M.M., and a D.M.A. in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University.

To get in touch with Meredith, you can email her at bowenmer@msu.edu or find her on Facebook (@mybowen), Instagram (@emwhybee), or TikTok (@m.y.bowen).

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Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson