Jocelyn Hagen, Hands

Jocelyn Hagen (b. 1980) is an American composer born in Minnesota and raised in North Dakota. Her work tends to focus primarily on choral music although she writes in various genres and has a particular interest in multi-media works.

Just as the system of royal and church patronage was disrupted by the French Revolution, causing composers to seek out new ways to earn a living, the internet and other technological developments of the past few decades have changed how today’s composers find their audience. Hagen has pushed all the right buttons with a slick web site, a Ted Talk, her own publishing company, consulting, and a growing list of notable commissions.

Of course, having skills as a composer and the ability to connect artistically with an audience must precede the marketing, and Hagen’s work has inspired a loyal following. And like some other young composers, she reaches a youthful audience, which is cause for some hope.

Hands is a vocalise, a musical form that involves singing vowel sounds but no text. It was commissioned by the International Federation of Choral Music for the World Choral Symposium in Barcelona and was premiered in Sweden in 2017. Hagen describes it as an effort to cross cultural boundaries in song.

I expect to post another performance pick sometime soon that includes another work of Hagen, but I thought it would make more sense to introduce her with this one.