Photography by Christopher Drukker
Bernadette Speach is an American composer, pianist, and educator. She complements her classical training with an avant-garde blend of jazz, and orchestral and choral elements. Over her career she has worked in close collaboration with poets and performers.
Current Projects
The Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine tells the story of nine students, ages 14 and 15, who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957-58. The world watched this episode of social change at the time because these young people were the first to test whether it was possible for Americans to end school segregation as ordered by the 1954 Supreme Court ruling known as Brown v. Board of Education. [more]
The Work
Compositions
A complete listing of musical compositions, collaborations, recordings, and publications by Bernadette Speach.
Collaborations
Most musical work is the result of cooperation and joint creation. Here is an introduction to Bernadette Speach’s musical collaborations with poet Thulani Davis and composer/guitarist Jeffrey Schanzer.
Listen
Three performance examples of Bernadette Speach’s compositions available to listen to and view on video.