YALE STUDENT COMPOSERS PROJECT                                              OHVII 14a

Reena Esmail

with Libby Van Cleve

New Haven, CT

March 30, 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Studying guitar and eventually piano — discovering composing senior year of high school — attending arts high school in Los Angeles — attending Juilliard as composition major — early pieces for flute, viola and harp; piano toccata; solo flute — interest in Broadway music — tonally conservative — current interest in Indian music — discovering Hindustani music while at Yale — no Hindu background in family — teaching style of Indian classical music — receiving suggestions to use Indian music in her compositions — stigma of tonality and “beautiful music” — uniting Hindustani and Western classical music — improvisation — working with Hindustani singer for Aria — listening to singer improvise and incorporating that into Aria — Piano Quintet — Indian aesthetics: loose sense of counterpoint between instruments, drones — work with Hindi a cappella group Sur et Veritaal — being a female composer — important for younger students to see women in the role of composer — Susan Botti — teaching at Manhattan School of Music — bringing Indian and Western communities together — education initiatives — continuing to write chamber music — upcoming Hindi opera — flute and marimba piece for Dasha Nikolenko and Candy Chiu.