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Before Lin-Manuel Miranda made American history cool again with the mega successful musical “Hamilton,” Judith Clurman was creating music using the words of American political leaders.
“Words really matter. And that's what this cycle is all about. You could talk about human rights, you could talk about freedom, religious rights, dreams, the Supreme Court and what it really represents,” said Clurman, a New York City-based conductor.
Classical KC spoke with Clurman while she was in Kansas City, rehearsing her piece “Washington Women: a choral cycle” with the choir at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church for their upcoming performance.
Nominated for Grammy and Emmy Awards, Clurman is a singer and pianist, a conductor and educator, and when inspiration strikes, also a composer. Music has always been her passion.
“My mother tells a great story that I stood in my crib and I told everyone to be quiet 'cause I had to sing,” Clurman said.
She trained as a classical pianist and has degrees in singing from The Juilliard School, before turning to conducting. She was director of choral activities at The Juilliard School, and has taught at University of Cambridge, Curtis Institute of Music, Harvard University, Princeton University and others. She currently teaches at the Manhattan School of Music and runs the professional vocal ensemble Essential Voices USA.

“But I listened to all types of music, and all music is singing,” she said.
In 2004, she started the series “Mr. President,” commissioning some of the genre’s leading composers—including Milton Babbitt, Nico Muhly, Paul Moravec, David Ludwig and others—to set the words of United States Presidents. The series premiered at the Library of Congress.
To complete the series, they added one final song, written by Georgia Stitt, inspired by words from Barack Obama’s inaugural address.
As NPR’s Artist in Residence in February 2011, she then presented the complete series as “Sing Out, Mr President.”
“A couple of years later, I said, ‘oh, no, I need to do something with women's words.’ This is really important,” said Clurman.
“And more than that, I felt that this piece could be used as an educational tool and teach citizens—and that means young kids through adults—about these great women and what they contributed. It needed, in my mind, to resonate with children of all ages.”
I felt that this piece could be used as an educational tool and teach citizens—and that means young kids through adults—about these great women and what they contributed.Judith Clurman
With composer David Chase, she created a set of choral songs, based on the words of women politicians, First Ladies, Supreme Court Justices, and Cabinet members from the founding of the United States to the current era.
It took her close to three years to secure the permissions for these words, just one to two sentences each from people like First Ladies Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Barbara Bush, Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Congresswomen Shirley Chisholm, Margaret Chase Smith, and Nancy Pelosi, Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright, and Vice President Kamala Harris…16 women in all.
“I got really passionate about including these women and these words, because they were all so relevant to our society right now,” said Clurman. “And they're even more relevant in this election year.”
Excerpts from the piece premiered on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series in 2022.
It was important to her to include words from women from both sides of the aisle.
“None of these words are really political political. They are universal themes,” said Clurman. “I don't discuss Republican or I don't discuss Democrat. I look at them as human beings and women who spoke that moved me, that would move children of all ages.”
“Maybe the piece could inspire another young woman to be president. If it inspires young women to go into civil service, it would be terrific.”
Music director Anthony Edwards brought Clurman and her piece to Kansas City. Each year, the All Souls choir performs a large-scale work for the community. (Edwards spoke with Classical KC about All Souls 2023 presentation of “Tyler’s Suite.”)
Though the program was originally planned for May, this rescheduled performance lands a timely few weeks before Election Day.
“We understand how gravely important a time it is to be presenting the words of so many wonderful women about our democracy,” said Edwards.
The choir at All Souls is all volunteer—exactly the type of group Clurman envisioned performing the work, and bringing it to their communities.
“I'm really excited. I was so moved…by the choir at All Souls and their enthusiasm for the piece,” said Clurman.
She hopes that this piece can help forge empathy and conversation, as well as education about these women. The music is designed to work for high school-level choirs as well as community choirs and professionals.
“If we don't start with kids, I don't think we're gonna change our society,” she said. “I think it would be great to do that. Of course, I'm hoping that people could sit down and be civil. That would be the greatest thing in the world to happen.”
“I hope every day.”
“Washington Women: a choral cycle” will be performed at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday, Oct. 20 and Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. For more information visit allsoulskc.org.