Xóchitl Hernández interviews Juhi Bansal, music composer and educator.

BY XÓCHITL HERNÁNDEZ
EL NUEVO SOL

Episode 2 of season 1. All you aspiring composers, you best listen up! In this episode, I interview MOC and composer Juhi Bansal. Described as “radiant and transcendent” by the New Classic LA, the music of Juhi Bansal takes its inspiration from a disparate set of elements. As an Indian composer brought up in Hong Kong, her pieces draw subtly on those traditions, entwining them closely and intricately with the gestures of classical music. Expressive and emotive, much of her music begins with extra-musical origins: visual stills from nature, poetry, or prose.

Her works have received numerous awards, including the Five Colleges New Music Festival Competition, Boston Metro Opera International Composers Competition, and many others. She has been awarded fellowships by the Douglas Moore Fund for American Opera, the Atlantic Music Center, Seasons Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival Composer’s Symposium, and the Pacific Music Festival. Recent commissions include Sirens, in collaboration with Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre and LA Opera; Begin, commissioned by the LA Philharmonic Association; Where Shadow Chases Light, commissioned by the Oakland East Bay Symphony; and I’ve Looked For You, commissioned by the AIDS Quilt Songbook 20th Anniversary project.

An active conductor as well as composer, Juhi often premieres works of other composers as well as her own. She is currently on the faculty of Pasadena City College.

I truly enjoyed listening to Juhi’s story. Stay tuned to hear her talk about composition tips and technique, complex multicultural identity, and applying that to one’s personal art and music.

For more information on Juhi and to hear the rest of her wonderful compositions, visit https://juhibansal.com. Or click the link in the description!

As Juhi stated before, be sure to check out the upcoming premiere at the Huntington Library of her latest composition in partnership with Pasadena City College and CalTech commissioned by LA Opera to promote the premiere of Matthew Acoin’s opera Eurydice. There will be conferences, performances, and several events produced by LA Opera at locations all around our great city of Los Angeles to celebrate this new and groundbreaking opera. For more information please visit laopera.org and click Eurydice Found festival events. And I’ll also leave you with this. What are some of the cultures or characteristics that make up who you are? Maybe you identify with just one culture, or perhaps you are multicultural, or maybe you are influenced by many other things in family, character, environment or history that make up who you are. Regardless, This week, I want to encourage you to explore asking yourself these questions and see how beautifully and intricately made you are. How can you apply your unique makeup to your life’s calling?