SHIRLEY MIER earned her Ph.D. in Composition in May 2005 (Doctoral Dissertation Fellow, 2004-05) at the University of Minnesota, where she also earned her M.A. in Composition in May 2002 with a minor in Theatre Arts, studying composition with Alex Lubet and Judith Zaimont. She earned her B.A. in Music from Grinnell College, IA, in 1988.
Shirley has been active for many years as a music director and theatre composer in the Twin Cities, and her theatre works have been commissioned and performed in area venues such as Stages Theatre, Shakespeare in the Park, and the Minnesota Fringe Festival, to critical (and audience) acclaim. Her first work for concert band, Theme and Deviations for Band, has won multiple awards and honors, including a performance at Carnegie Hall in May 2004 as the winner of the Fifth Annual H. Robert Reynolds National Wind Ensemble Composers Competition. Her dissertation, Visages, a song cycle for mezzo-soprano and orchestra (texts by Diana Fu), with cross-cultural themes connecting China and America, has been performed multiple times. Her concert band works have been commissioned and performed across the country and are published by Alfred Music and Grand Mesa Music. Her musicals are published by Dramatic Publishing and Concord Theatricals.
Shirley has been a music faculty member at Century College in White Bear Lake, MN, since 2007. She teaches Music Theory and Ear Training plus a variety of other courses. She continues to serve as music director and composer for many theatre productions at Century and other theatres in the Twin Cities.
Website: www.shirleymier.com
Email: shirleyhmier@gmail.com