Empower with What Happens When A Woman by Alexandra Olsavsky
Happy New Year! To start off the year, I thought I’d share one of my favorite pieces from this past fall. In October, we were lucky enough to be joined on stage by a local junior high treble group for our “Singing Our Roots” Concert. They are preparing for an All-State performance, and asked to collaborate on one of their pieces. Of course, I couldn’t say no to the opportunity to work on What Happens When A Woman by Alexandra Olsavsky!
This strong and empowering piece originally performed by Artemisia Trio (listen here) has been on my to-do list since I saw it performed at an Illinois All-State Conference years ago. In this post, I discuss the following components of What Happens When A Woman by Alexandra Olsavsky:
- Get to Know Composer Alexandra Olsavsky
- An Intro to the Artemisia Trio
- Women in Music
- What Happens When We Ask the Important Questions
- What Happens When A Woman Teacher Resources
*This was the most-read post of the 22-23 School Year. Check out the other most-read posts here!
What Happens When A Woman Takes Power?
Alexandra Olsavsky’s What Happens When A Woman is “a song for the strong women of our world who seek to empower themselves by asking important questions.” With its impactful message, driving body percussion, and excellent voice leading, this piece is a pleasure to learn and perform. Below, I share a bit about the composer, Artemisia Trio, and Women in Music, and introduce important discussions that we might have with our ensembles as we prepare this piece.
Featured Composer: Alexandra Olsavsky
What Happens When A Woman was composed by musical artist Alexandra Olsavsky. Based in Chicago, Olsavsky collaborates with a variety of musical ensembles, singing music of many genres, eras, and cultures. A founding member of the vocal group Artemisia (more on this below), Olsavsky has performed nationally and internationally.
According to her website, Olsavsky began her musical journey with piano lessons from her father. She later studied acting and musical theater at a local children’s theater and attended a school of the performing arts. It was here that she began to appreciate collaborative art making.
To learn more about Alexandra Olsavsky and her work, visit her website here.
Artemisia Trio
Diana Lawrence, Alexandra Olsavsky, and Kaitlin Foley make up the powerful vocal trio Artemisia. Through their work, they endeavor to “harness the power of the female voice to tell stories through the vocal traditions of the world.”
The ensemble is known for their commissions, performing newly composed works by living female composers and sharing their stories. Visit their Facebook page to see videos from each of the composers featured in their most recent commissions for the project She Was: Jori Pilcher, Kyong Mee Choi, Jess Godwin, and Rochelle Rice.
Lawrence, Olsavsky, and Foley named their group after three inspirational women: naval queen of Halicarnassus Artemisia of Caria, Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi, and Greek goddess Artemis. They carry this strength throughout each performance, as well as through their educational outreach to community and youth ensembles as they discuss cultural literacy, improv and song writing, and female empowerment.
To learn more about the trio and their work, visit their website here.
Women in Music
Alexandra Olsavsky’s What Happens When A Woman discusses the power of women when they are in charge. Rising above, leading with love, working as one, and not backing down, women get the job done. The Artemisia Trio provide a great example of what women in the music industry can do to empower and uplift women locally, nationally, and internationally.
Although women have been composing just as long as men, they have often faced incredible challenges just to have their work heard and recognized. This struggle continues in the music industry today, where only 20% of artists on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Charts over the past 10 years were women, and on average only 12.9% of all songwriters and 2% of music producers are women.
Windows and Mirrors
When I was in grad school, I learned about the importance of “windows and mirrors” in education. Young people need to be able to learn about other musical perspectives (windows) as well as see themselves in their work (mirrors). If young musicians do not see examples of people like them (for example a female music producer or a queer choral composer), they are less likely to envision themselves in that job.
To that end, here are some great resources that amplify the voices and work of female musicians historically and contemporarily:
- Audio Network’s “The History of Women in Music“
- Smithsonian Music’s “Stories of Women in Music“
- Stacker’s “50 Women Who Broke Barriers in the Music Industry“
- Stereo Fox’s “15 Organisations Which Support Women in Music And Work Towards Equality in the Music Industry“
- Orange County Women’s Chorus “Women Composers Database“
Who are some of your favorite women in the musical industry? Choral or otherwise? Let me know in the comments below!
What Happens When We Ask the Important Questions
The lyrics and message of What Happens When A Woman by Alexandra Olsavsky are an invitation for discussion and empowerment. With phrases like “What happens when a woman takes power? What happens when she won’t back down?” and “We rise above; We lead with love; We have won; We are one; We’ve just begun,” this piece strongly sings for justice and equity for women.
Here are a few questions to start discussion with your ensemble as you work through What Happens When A Woman:
- Read through the lyrics of the piece. What is this piece about to you?
- Does this piece evoke the image of any specific women? Historically? Contemporarily? What did/do they stand for?
- Who are some strong women in your life who inspire you?
- Who are some women in leadership who have taken charge and lead with love and power?
- What makes a good leader? How can we portray those qualities in our rehearsal space?
- What musical decisions can we make to enhance the power of this piece?
- How do the expressive elements of this piece (dynamics, articulation, body percussion) add to the overall affect of the piece?
- How do we express in our bodies and on our faces the message of this piece?
Complementary Pieces
Want to listen to other pieces like What Happens When A Woman? Or planning a concert and need some programming ideas? Here are a few complementary pieces!
Enjoying the Empowerment vibes?
- I love anything by Jim Papoulis for developing choral voices. His pieceWhen I Close My Eyes was a hit with my middle schoolers several years ago.
- Sarah Quartel’s Voice on the Wind describes the empowerment of singing and is available for SATB and SSAA with hand drum accompaniment.
- With text by James Weldon Johnson, Marques Garrett’s My Heart Be Brave encourages SATB and TTBB singers and their audience to find power in doing the right thing, especially in difficult times.
Love the Body Percussion?
- Yu Hang Ta’s Ikan Kekek includes improvisatory stamps and claps open to the choir’s interpretation.
- Malakatumba by Spanish composer Josu Elberdin utilizes ostinati and body percussion in this game-like canon for SAB and SSA ensembles.
- Veljo Tormis’s Tantsulaul includes playful stomps, claps, and vocalizes to portray an overconfident dancer trying to impress.
I’d Love to Hear from You!
Have you sung or conducted What Happens When A Woman with your choir? How did your choirs respond to the text and message of the piece? What women in music do we need to be lifting up and highlighting? What pieces commissioned by Artemisia should we feature? Let me know in the comments below!
What Happens When A Woman Teacher Resources!
FREE What Happens When A Woman Reading Comprehension Worksheet
Reading Comprehension Worksheets pull five key points from the blog post above. Additionally, they ask singers to consider musical decisions they can make with the info from this post. Fill in the form below and get a link to a folder including the What Happens When A Woman worksheet and all 2022 Fall Concert Post Worksheets immediately!
What Happens When A Woman by Alexandra Olsavsky Lesson Plan Bundle
Check out the Inspired Choir Shop for the What Happens When A Woman Lesson Plan Bundle. This bundle includes the following five minute lesson plans, all with connections to National Standards and SEL Competencies:
- Stereotypes and Perceptions Bell Ringers
- Artemisia Trio Listening Assignment
- Body Percussion Composition Activity
- What Happens When A Woman Discussion Prompts
- Women in Power Group Project
