JAN GILBERT
Jan Gilbert is a nationally recognized composer. Her work has been commissioned by Chanticleer, Clerestory, the Dale Warland Singers, Ars Nova Singers, LISTEN, the American Guild of Organists, the St. Paul Civic Symphony, the University of Illinois Chamber Singers, the University of Maine Chamber Singers, Hamline University A Cappella Singers, WomanVoice and the United Nations Association International Choir. She has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, McKnight Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Northwest Area Foundation, Walker Art Center, American Composers Forum and the Otto Bremer Foundation, and has completed several residencies at the MacDowell Colony.
Gilbert’s interest in experimental and non-western music has led her to create many works centering on African and Asian cultures, including choral works Let that Day be Darkness (set in Krio), NightChants (settings of American Indian, African and Sanskrit poetry), One Evening (a setting in Tamil for South Indian dance and choir), Songs of Transformation for Choir and Ney (or Flute) and Thillana for Women’s Voices (set in Hindi). Chanticleer features selections from NightChants on Sound in Spirit (Warner Classics) and The Boy Whose Father was God (Chanticleer Records).
​​After receiving a grant to study South Indian music theory in Chennai, Gilbert collaborated with veena artist Nirmala Rajasekar, creating Shakuntala (soprano, string quartet and veena), Suite for Veena and String Quartet, and Suite for Veena and Orchestra. Gitanjali (Song Offerings for Soprano, String Quartet and Dance) was written for Bharatanatyam artist Ranee Ramaswamy. Two large choral works center on the themes of peace and reconciliation: That the Dove May Rest (a setting of Uruguayan poet Sara de Ibáñez’s No Puedo) was commissioned by the United Nations Association International Choir of Houston, and premiered in 2009 with Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano, violin and cello, choir and the Space City Gamelan ensemble. Poem of the Innocent (a choral setting with chamber orchestra) is dedicated to Issa Higiro’s peace building efforts in Rwanda. Texts include reflections from young women who lived through the genocide during their childhood. Premiered in 2014, this work marked the 20th year after the genocide.
In addition to Fantasy for Flute and Orchestra, a collaborative work with Ying Zhang based on a Chinese folk tale, Gilbert has created a series of works for narrator and orchestra commissioned by the St. Paul Civic Symphony and ArtStart featuring international children’s stories on cultural themes from India, Laos, Mozambique, the Tlingit Culture of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Oaxaca and Somalia.
Gilbert's vocal music has been described by critics as "innovative with an eerie and mysterious beauty" (San Francisco Chronicle), and her multimedia composition “perfectly captures the flavor of dance and the spirit of storytelling” (Minneapolis Star Tribune).
Jan Gilbert is a member of BMI. Her works are published through American Composers Edition, an affiliation of the American Composers Alliance. She currently serves on the Board of the American Composers Alliance. She has taught at Middlebury College, St. Olaf College, the University of Maine at Orono, and Macalester College.