Musicwoman Magazine Spring 2020

SHEILA FIRESTONE

by Elaine Bossik

Sheila Firestone, M.S. Ed., composer, has been a student of musical composition since 1987. Her most recent works include Miriam and the Women of the Desert, a musical journey into the Exodus told through the eyes of Miriam the Propehtess, to be premiered in 2019. Waters of Transformation, which was the second place winner in the first Vinnie Rheam Music Award. Third World E-Waste Graveyards, The Grandchildren’s Suite, The Pandora Triptych, preludes, choral pieces and Ancient Blue Threads, a collection of original sacred songs and settings of traditional words with original music. Sheila is a Past President of the Boca Raton Branch of the National League of American Pen Women. She has served as Secretary for the State of Florida for the National League of American Pen Women, and First Vice President for the Florida NLAPW. Firestone is the composer of a new musical, Miriam and the Women of the Desert.

EB: How did you come to music as a child? Did you study music theory?

SF: As a young girl, I had private piano lessons where I learned fundamental theory and how to improvise. My music teacher encouraged me to apply to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). When I was accepted at BAM, I went there for weekly piano and theory lessons. My first piano recital was there. I studied privately and joined the band at my junior high school.

EB: Do you compose music? If so, how many songs have you composed? In what genre?

SF: For many years, I was a teacher of gifted children and I used music in the classroom. When I was 45 years old and about to begin a doctoral program in education, melodies started coming into my mind. That’s when I turned to studying composition with a private teacher. I have been on this journey ever since. I had three influential mentors. I wrote instrumental works, including canons, preludes, a symphony, suites, a sonata, a chaconne, a brass EBuintet, a string trio, a rhapsody, an album of new age music with many individual songs, three children’s

SSheila Firestone

SHEILA FIRESTONE by Elaine Bossik (con’t)

educational programs with accompanying songs, an album of prayers set to music and, most recently, a musical, Miriam and the Women of the Desert.

EB: Do you have a publishing company with ASCAP or BMI?

SF: My publishing company is Songs for a New Day. I am an ASCAP member.

EB: Are you aware of the challenges women face in the male-dominated field of music?

SF: When I started my journey in composing, I had no idea there was a bias against women or how difficult it would be to get my music out into the world. There are far fewer female than male composers. It’s a fact. But I’m not certain why.

EB: What advice do you have to younger women entering the world of music performance?

SF: Become well-grounded in theory. Be a perfectionist when it comes to your music being performed. Continue studying. There’s always something more to learn musically. Find the best performers to perform your work. Be grateful for your friends and friendships with other musicians. Never take your mentors for granted. They are a blessing.

Sheila’s signature accomplishment, Miriam and the Women of the Desert was presented to audiences in Florida in 2019. She produced, directed, and wrote the libretto for this beautifully articulated musical. The Biblical story of Miriam and the women who surrounded her was told in a fully-staged production with a cast of seven professionally-trained singers and an instrumental ensemble led by Loni White on keyboards. The performers wore costumes that recreated Biblical garb and the projected scenic designs depicted the mood of the desert. The story of the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt is seen through the eyes of Miriam, a prophetess and the sister of Moses and Aaron.

The production takes audiences on a musical journey, exploring family relationships, many forms of love, and generational heritage. Though the story dates back thousands of years, it is a

metaphor for today’s women’s movement for equality. Sheila’s journey creating this musical spanned twenty-two years. It began when she visited Israel in the 1980s and realized a vision for her work. Over the years, she studied musical composition, honed her talent and finally brought her work to the stage. She anticipates staging her musical for wider audiences. The trailer can be viewed at www.sheilafirestone. com.

As a Delian Society member, Sheila’s orchestral works have been performed at venues in the U.S. and abroad. She produced several CDs of her compositions, as well as sheet music and a collection of children’s songs and educational materials. Sheila is listed in Dr. Anne K. Gray’s Pulitzer Prize nominated book, The World of Women in Classical Music. She is a Pen Woman and a music member of the Boca Raton Branch of the National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW) where she served as Branch President (2014 – 2018) and Music Chair (2003 –present). She received numerous awards for her compositions. Most recently, the Florida State Association of NLAPW awarded her the 2019 Individual Achievement Award and the 2019 Pen Woman of the Year Award. Join

Elaine Bossik is a novelist and screenwriter. Her debut novel, The Last Victim, is a literary romance about a family dominated by a mother obsessed with hoarding money. As a staff writer for Scriptologist.com, an online screenwriting magazine, she writes how-to articles for aspiring screenwriters. With BA and MS degrees from Brooklyn College in New York, Elaine pursued multiple careers as a teacher, advertising copywriter, magazine editor and medical writer. While her professional career helped shape her writing, Elaine’s fascination with people, their motivations, and the everyday dramas they create is the inspiration for her fiction. She believes that great stories grow out of great characters. She is working on her second novel, Body Merchants, a medical thriller. Elaine is the CoPresident of the Boca Raton Branch of the National League of American Pen Women and a member of the Women’s National Book Association. She is a frequent speaker at fiction panel discussions and in writing workshops at local libraries, book stores and community organizations. www.elainebossik.com.