Sorel Visiting Artist named for residencies in the School of Music

Dr. Valerie Coleman, an internationally renowned composer and flutist, has been named the second Claudette Sorel Visiting Artist at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

A fall semester residency is slated for Oct. 12 through 14 with Dr. Coleman, with a spring portion slated for April 25 to 27, 2024.

Coleman is regarded by many as an iconic artist who continues to pave her own unique path as a composer, GRAMMY-nominated flutist, and entrepreneur. Highlighted as one of the “Top 35 Women Composers” by The Washington Post, she was named Performance Today’s 2020 Classical Woman of the Year, an honor bestowed to an individual who has made a significant contribution to classical music as a performer, composer or educator. Her works have garnered awards such as the MAPFund, ASCAP Honors Award, Chamber Music America’s Classical Commissioning Program, Herb Alpert Ragdale Residency Award, and nominations from The American Academy of Arts and Letters and United States Artists. “Umoja, Anthem for Unity” was chosen by Chamber Music America as one of the “Top 101 Great American Ensemble Works” and is now a staple of woodwind literature.

Born in Louisville, KY, Coleman had an interest in composing music from an early age. She began formal music education at age 11, and started writing symphonies on a portable organ. Advancing her hobby, by the age of 14 she had written three full-length symphonies and won local and state competitions. She studied music at Boston University and earned a master's degree in flute from Mannes College of Music. Debuting as a flutist/composer at Carnegie Hall, Coleman has since regularly performed at major music halls across the United States and has collaborated with other performers including Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, Paquito D'Rivera, David Shifrin, Orion String Quartet, Harlem Quartet, Miami String Quartet, Dover Quartet, Wu Han, and many more.

With enormous interest in her work as a composer, many orchestras, ensembles, associations, and festivals have commissioned her work; notably, Coleman became the first African American woman to be commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera. 

On Thursday, Oct. 12, the residency will commence with a panel discussion about women in music today at 8 p.m. in Rosch Recital Hall, moderated by School of Music faculty member Dr. Natasha Farny, with Coleman, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director JoAnn Falletta, and Fredonia School of Music Director of Orchestras Emily Schaad.

On Friday, Oct. 13, the residency will continue on the SUNY Fredonia campus with a chamber music recital at 8 p.m. in Rosch Recital Hall. The concert will feature the music of Coleman with performances by School of Music faculty and students.

On Saturday, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m., the fall portion of the residency will conclude with the performance of Coleman’s work “Umoja, Anthem for Unity” by the Fredonia College Symphony under the direction of Dr. Schaad. In addition, the concert will include Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2, as well as movements from Francis Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos with junior Music Performance scholars and School of Music Concerto Competition winners Aaron Mecham and Boaz Mecham, twin brothers from Jamestown, NY. There will be a reception in Mason Hall Room 1080 following the concert. The concert is the first performance with Dr. Schaad.

Coleman will also be meeting with student composers, presenting her own music as well as providing feedback to their newly composed works.

For more information on Coleman’s residency and the developing event schedule, visit online. The residency will resume on April 25 to 27, 2024.

The residency is made possible through a grant from the Sorel Charitable Organization through the Fredonia College Foundation. The Sorel organization has awarded the Fredonia School of Music a three-year grant to welcome women artists of international distinction to campus for a wide variety of open to the public interactive events with students and faculty.