Composer Nan Avant has been in love with classical music since she was a teenager. While her sister and her friends were listening to pop records, Avant was becoming entranced by the music of Antonio Vivaldi and Erik Satie.
It wasn't long after she began her study of classical piano that Avant was composing original pieces, hoping then that she would one day become a conductor.
Avant never did become a conductor, but she’s worked as a musician for most of her life, doing everything from teaching, to playing the piano on the Argosy Cruise Line.
Avant's latest effort is part of a larger project born from the mind of composer Glenna Burmer.
Burmer and seven other composers each picked a part of space, researched and studied their topic, and composed a piece inspired by the cosmos.
The efforts were all a part of the concert "Origins: Life and the Universe”.
In addition to the original compositions, each composer was tasked with making a film to play along with their music.
Gabriel Spitzer spoke with Avant about what went into composing her nebulae-inspired piece, “Bijoux”.
