Conductor, Sandra Snow

Bio: The mirabai ensemble was founded in 2017 by Sandra Snow. We aim to enhance the artistic expectations of women’s choral singing by connecting powerful music of women, past and present; and performing, commissioning, and recording new and innovative musics that express the rich emotional terrain of a woman’s life. Our work takes place through performances and recordings, educational outreach, and the commissioning of new works. Examples of outreach include national leadership retreats for choral educators and an annual mirabai young scholar's program that identifies eight HS women from across the U.S. with an early interest in teaching and pairs them with mirabai artists. Upcoming commissioning projects align with our deib initiatives, centering composition by women of color. We have also widened representation in the mirabai young scholar's cohort for 2022, another deib goal. We recognize the membership of the organization does not yet reflect the changing demographics of our nation and that systemic and institutional racism has left singers and teachers of color out of the academy. As a result, we need to grow our membership with this as a priority. Our rehearsal and performance model seeks inclusive practices and representation of multi-musical practices are a priority. As passionate advocates for music as a form of peacemaking, mirabai seeks to engage audiences in meaningful explorations of musics, texts, and conversation around contemporary issues of our time.

Ensemble Statement: The mirabai ensemble was founded in 2017 by Sandra Snow. We aim to enhance the artistic expectations of women’s choral singing by connecting powerful music of women, past and present; and performing, commissioning, and recording new and innovative musics that express the rich emotional terrain of a woman’s life. Our work takes place through performances and recordings, educational outreach, and the commissioning of new works. Examples of outreach include national leadership retreats for choral educators and an annual mirabai young scholar's program that identifies eight HS women from across the U.S. with an early interest in teaching and pairs them with mirabai artists. Upcoming commissioning projects align with our deib initiatives, centering composition by women of color. We have also widened representation in the mirabai young scholar's cohort for 2022, another deib goal. We recognize the membership of the organization does not yet reflect the changing demographics of our nation and that systemic and institutional racism has left singers and teachers of color out of the academy. As a result, we need to grow our membership with this as a priority. Our rehearsal and performance model seeks inclusive practices and representation of multi-musical practices are a priority. As passionate advocates for music as a form of peacemaking, mirabai seeks to engage audiences in meaningful explorations of musics, texts, and conversation around contemporary issues of our time.