Solange Guillaume is a pianist and composer living in Minneapolis, Minnesota whose primary interests lie in the creation and performance of new music. She has participated in diverse artistic productions, including inter-arts collaborations, musical theater, chamber and solo recitals, and new music premieres. Solange strives to synthesize elements of theater, cultural studies and scholarship in her artistic endeavors.
Ms. Guillaume is currently working on a recital of new music works by the composers J. Anthony Allen, Frederic Rzewski, and Cory. R. Kasprzyck to be presented this spring. Some of her most recent projects include work as musical director for The Hormel Girls, performed at The History Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota and composing for multi-channel electronic media.
In May of 2006, Solange completed a graduate degree in piano performance at Towson University, where she studied with Professor Reynaldo Reyes and began jazz studies with Professor Tim Murphy. Her artistic collaborations at this time included the founding of an inter-arts student group, Synthesis, and co-writing music for the production "65 Days," by actor/director Lane Pianta. In the fall of 2005, Solange worked as musical director at Towson on a production of Steven Sondheim's "Company."
In classical piano performance, she presented both Robert Schumann's Carnival (1834) and Claude Debussy's Preludes Book II (1913) for her graduate recital and thesis. She also collaborated with cellists Dubrochna Zubek and Agnieska Kolodziej on a series of concerts, including a performances in West Virginia and Maryland. During her time at Towson, Solange worked with students in the composition department, premiering the piano works of her colleagues Nicholas Schoeb (BM '05) and Patrick Alexander (MM '06). In the spring of 2006, Ms. Guillaume presented a lecture-recital of Friedrich Nietzsche's art songs as related to his philosophical insights from The Birth of Tragedy out of the Spirit of Music.
Ms. Guillaume's previous teachers include Gwendolyn Mok (San Jose State University), Mack McCray (San Francisco Conservatory), Dr. Craig Nies (Vanderbilt University), and Mrs. Ila Berenson (Columbus, GA). She completed her undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University (class of 2000) with a major in piano performance and a second major in theater.
Solange has a diversity of interests, including philosophy, languages, theater, poetry, literature, and a love of the outdoors. Time permitting, she loves to run and rock climb, and has hiked in many locations across the continental United States. She and her husband, Zachary Crockett , a composer in the Twin Cities, love to travel and have climbed in the Gunks, Hueco Tanks, Fontainebleau, Castle Rock and Seneca. They are currently working together with the new music presenting organization 3-1-3-6.
Ms. Guillaume plans to continue her studies in performance and broaden her horizons as a composer and jazz pianist. She intends to continue working as a collaborative artist in the coming years and, at some point in the future, found a music festival with her husband.
You can contact me at sol dash angel at usa dot net.