Jana Rowland ~ Composer

Jana won her only prize at primary school in a writing competition. The competition was to create a piece about the sounds around us. It has become a theme for life. Now focused on using music more than words to describe those sounds, that early training in listening has created the music she writes today.

Jana studied composition for a Master's degree in electroacoustic composition; creating electroacoustic
works with choral voices. As Musical Director of the Wenhaston Girls Choir she has been commissioned to create several pieces for soprano /alto choirs, as well as orchestral works.

 

Works include:

• The Sea: one act opera
• The Voice Circus: an opera with children
• The Logic & The Miracle performed at Norwich Cathedral in June 2000, a one hour electroacoustic work for Suffolk based group Heartbeat, soprano, contralto, violin, and children's voices
• The Passion. - electroacoustic tape and choir
• The Requiem. - Choirs and Organ
• Three songs for Amnesty International performed at Blythburgh Church with the Wenhaston Girls Choir.
• Three Folksongs for orchestra and choir performed at Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh with English Sinfonia.

Jana, when director of Magnificat Chorale, a collation of twenty semi-professional singers (SATB) devised new compositions for them, including an electroacoustic and choral Passion, (a complete setting of St Mark's gospel) and The Requiem. The Requiem - composed for two choirs, SATB (singing in Latin) and children (singing in English). Performed at St Mary's Church Halesworth Suffolk for All Souls Day November 2002 and 2003.

Orchestral works include the commissioned Halesworth Overture for Ensemble performed at the opening of the Halesworth Arts Festival and New Cut Arts Thearte. Numerous theatre credits with script writer Andrew Neil including Time & Ms Tick', 'Tick 2', True For Ever, Spending the Pension, Songs for Review.

Symphony of Light, collaborating with Mike Rowland, wove Jana's choral skills and the voices of Wenhaston Girls Choir with Mike Rowland's beautiful melodic music. The album, sold world wide, is a collation of ambient sounds and voices, arranged with sounds from nature and symphonic orchestrations.

Educational and Theatre projects include: Composer with English Touring Opera, Mercury Theatre Colchester, Compositions for Schools, Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh 2001 and 2004, 2005, Songs for Bramfield School. 2006 saw Jana compose three Spike Milligan songs for Laxfield Drama Club which were performed at Ipswich Wolsey Theatre and many schools.

" Jana really can sing.." The Stage

Jana still sometimes coaches singing, both with choirs and individually, and has worked with students from RADA, Mountview Theatre School, and The Actor's Institute where as Director she led the Leadership Programme, Leadership & Creativity, the Mastery and Samurai. She is currently contributing as Creative Consultant to the Open University for the Aspire Project.