Luna Composition Lab Internship!
From June 23rd to 27th, I had the pleasure of interning for Luna Composition Lab’s big festival week in NYC! From having been a fellow and the Patrina Foundation Fellowship recipient in 2018 (back in the 8th grade!) to being asked to return as an intern was a great joy and an honor.
Luna Lab is an incredible, must-experience mentorship program for young female, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming composers ages 13–18. The summer festival week is a special time when months of composing an original work with the help of a personal composition mentor and tuning into Zoom masterclasses all culminate in an unforgettable experience. That week, all the fellows fly into the city to finally meet in person, attend workshops, and hear their compositions brought to life by professional performers—none other than the members of the renowned International Contemporary Ensemble!
As an intern, my duties included taking everyone’s lunch orders, escorting the fellows back and forth from Manhattan’s Carnegie Hall for the masterclasses to Brooklyn for rehearsals with the International Contemporary Ensemble. I also picked up 180 Magnolia Bakery cupcakes (I’ve never felt so overwhelmingly luxurious—carrying five huge bags of delicious cupcakes!) and helped set up the reception for the big concert night of the fellows’ compositions. It was a blast reuniting with Luna Lab’s co-founders and phenomenal composers Ellen Reid and Missy Mazzoli, as well as the incredible executive director Alyssa Kayser-Hirsch—all of whom I deeply admire and adore.
Graciously, outside of my official duties, I was invited to sit in on all of the masterclasses alongside this year’s fellows. Memorable guests included..
Charmaine Lee, a vocalist (and a Princeton alum!) “primarily concerned with risk-taking, playfulness, and improvisation.” There is a whole different world inside her mouth. The way she explores the possibilities of the human mouth, microphones, and electronics coming together was exciting and crazy to experience.
Nina Shekhar, an Indian-American composer and multimedia artist who emphasized that all art is a reflection of identity. She shared how she consciously works to empower audience members who are typically lower in the concert hall power dynamic—those less familiar with the unwritten rules and etiquette of classical music spaces—by embedding “Easter eggs” in her compositions, subtle references that may only be recognized by members of the Indian community.
Angélica Negrón, a Puerto Rican-born composer and multi-instrumentalist who not only writes for musicians in orchestral, choral, and film settings, but also robots, toys, and plants. Yes, plants.
Mari Esabel Valverde, Mexican-American composer, singer, and educator whose compassionate character I enjoyed getting to chat with.
If you are an aspiring young female, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming composers ages 13–18, APPLY TO LUNA COMPOSITION LAB!! It is one of the most special music programs I have ever experienced, and the program’s care and constant efforts to stay connected with the alumni and continue to support us makes my music journey more empowering and meaningful. So, what are you waiting for?
