Podcasts · Episode

Eleanor Alberga

Program: NoteWorthy
Aired: Monday, November 11, 2024 listen
Hosted by Loki Karuna

According to many cultures and traditions, every living being has both a good side and, well, a not-so-good side. This isn't to say people are inherently evil, as much as it's simply an acknowledgement of the multi-faceted nature of who we all are as people. It's something that we can definitely see manifested in society at times, yes, but also a concept explored by some, through  music. Hi – I'm Loki Karuna, and on this edition of Noteworthy you and I will engage the light and dark of human nature, as explored by composer Eleanor Alberga. 

Born 1949 in Kingston, Jamaica, Eleanor decided at the age of five that she would be a concert pianist. After celebrating many early successes as a pianist, she eventually found her way to England where she would work with a dance company, and later branch off as a full time composer. This work of her's, written in 1990, fuses the concept of musical dance with the light and dark of the human psyche – a composition that she calls Dancing With The Shadow.

Since writing this work, Eleanor has composed several others in many different styles and genres, earning herself several awards, including election into the Royal Academy of Music as a Fellow, and even the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Eleanor Alberga's work continues to provoke thought, to engage movement, and to inspire others, making her one of today's most Noteworthy.

Noteworthy is a production of WDAV classical public radio.

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