Composing music and putting pen to paper are similar creative processes. Just like listening to a playlist inspires the imagination, learning how composers write music can inspire how you approach your own writing. Melding the worlds of music composition and creative writing, Allison McIntosh will guide Writers Conference attendees though inspiring exercises.
Allison McIntosh is a Midwest-based composer originally from the Pacific Northwest. Her music often involves influence from literature, and one of her main passions in music is writing for voice. Her first chamber opera, The Murderess, explores issues of feminism and medical autonomy through a lens of true crime. Her music also often connects her passion for music history to her interest in innovation and experimentation. McIntosh has attended festivals such as the Hot Air Music Festival, Cortona Sessions, and the Walden School, as well as many academic conferences throughout the country. Her music has been performed by many talented musicians including the Washington Masters Chorale, Landlocked Opera Company, Sputter Box Ensemble, the Meadowlark Project, and members of the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra. She enjoys interdisciplinary collaboration with institutions like the Spencer Museum of Art and the University of Kansas' School of Journalism and Mass Communications. She has seen her works performed at Boston Symphony Hall, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, and the National Presbyterian Church, as well as many other venues throughout the country. McIntosh graduated with a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Kansas, where she studied with Ingrid Stölzel. She also holds a Master's of Music from the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Michael Gandolfi, and a bachelor's degree from Tufts University. In addition to composing, she has a passion for education and pedagogy. She currently serves as an instructor of composition at Missouri Western State University. Outside of music, McIntosh works as an Adult Services Specialist at the Johnson County Library.
We are very pleased to announce that Allison McIntosh will teach two lectures at this year’s Writers Conference! She will facilitate a session on how to transform a text from page to screen, as well as a session on experimental composition styles inspired by musical sources.
You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.