One of my favorite oratorio arias: "Woe unto them who forsake him" from Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah. It's a warning against abandoning God and a song of frustration and grief at the frailty of humankind. youtu.be/jXGdcMNptOA #mezzo

Oh great. My new laptop with an advertised 7 hours of battery life has a battery life of... ...wait for it... 1 hour.

❤️ Stranger Things!!

Local opera companies love to produce Amahl and the Night Visitors around this time of year. It's a great opera, but it has only 1 role for a woman, (2 if you have a soprano or mezzo play Amahl). It is LONG past time that companies octave flip some of the Kings for voice part & gender equity.

Instrumentalists who are not currently in college/graduate school: 1. How often do you perform from memory? 2. How often do you perform music of the last 50 years from memory?

Classical chamber music circles regularly exclude singers, as if we don't belong in those circles or rep with voices isn't "real" chamber music. It's time for that to end.

If you want Adjunct faculty to come to a meeting, you need to pay us for that time. We aren't salaried. That meeting isn't part of my compensation. It costs extra.

Last chance for @newwaveopera.bsky.social 's silent auction! Bid on these amazing items & packages before they disappear! Give a little & get a little--support contemporary opera in your community while treating yourself! givebutter.com/c/aN3YGS/auc...

⏳The clock’s ticking... Tonight, July 20, marks the final hours of @newwaveopera.bsky.social 's online silent auction — and you won’t want to miss what’s waiting behind the virtual curtain. Auction closes tonight at 11:45 PM Pacific -- place your winning bid! givebutter.com/c/aN3YGS/auc...

what happens if you drink a changeling

Do you dream of commissioning music? Bid on this @newwaveopera.bsky.social silent auction item-- a commission from me for voice & piano that New Wave Opera artists will bring to life in 2026! Place your bid before this opportunity flies away! givebutter.com/c/aN3YGS/auc...

Who’s ready for family fun? Support @newwaveopera.bsky.social & bid on the Family Fun Passport for Four- a great deal! 4 ride bracelets to Oaks Amusement Park A family membership to OR Historical Society $50 Kingpins Giftcard 4 person pass to World Forestry Center givebutter.com/c/aN3YGS/auc...

20 Local Arts & Entertainment organizations have come together in support of @newwaveopera.bsky.social Browse & Bid our online Silent Auction, now through July 20! Get these items & packages before they're gone. Visit the link my bio to browse & bid!

If you've been wanting to work with me on music career coaching now's your chance to nab a package of 3 coachings at a discount! Bid on @newwaveopera.bsky.social's silent auction to get the career help YOU need and support local opera at the same time! givebutter.com/c/aN3YGS/auc...

@newwaveopera.bsky.social is having an online silent auction this week! You can bid on amazing arts and entertainment packages for experiencesin the greater NW Oregon region! Check. It. Out. givebutter.com/c/aN3YGS/auc...

I'm honored to be commissioned by Oregon Music Teachers Association as their 2025 Composer of the Year. The commission, Love in a Time of Climate Change, is a piece about living in a time of an unprecedented, human-created global emergency.

THIS FRIDAY! In person or via livestream! Quinn Patrick Ankrum & Liz Avery perform the World Premiere of No One Saves the Earth from Us But Us at Cincinnati Song Initiative! Visit www.cincinnatisonginitiative.org for details on how to attend in person or via livestream!

So excited for Jason Sifford to bring Nautilus to life! This piano solo, commissioned by Iowa Music Teachers Association for their 2025 Commissioned Composer Award, is inspired by the biology, behavior, and ecosystem of the nautilus.

🚨 Last chance! 🚨 Join the Southern Resident commissioning consortium by the end of the day May 11 and be entered into a drawing to win a cuddly crocheted orca whale! 🐋💙 This new duet for clarinet and bassoon tells the story of the Southern Resident orca whales...

Beyond honored to share that I've been named Composer of the Year by Oregon Music Teachers Association (OMTA) & Iowa Music Teachers Association (IMTA). These awards come with commissions for new music that will be premiered at the state conferences next month.

🐋 Music meets conservation! 🐋 The Southern Resident commissioning consortium is growing, and there’s still time to join! This clarinet and bassoon duet brings to life the struggles and resilience of the endangered Southern Resident orca whales.

**Sneak Peek!** Get a glimpse into the opening movement of Southern Resident, my duet for clarinet & bassoon about the orca whales of Puget Sound. Visit www.lisanehermusic.com/southern-resident for more info and to join!

🎶 Join the Southern Resident commissioning consortium! 🎶 ✨ SPECIAL PROMO: Anyone who joins the consortium by May 11 will be entered into a drawing to win an adorable crocheted orca whale! 🐋💙 Join now and bring this music to life! Visit www.lisanehermusic.com/southern-resident to join

Yet another despicable and illegal action from the president. I just made a donation to @opb.org because journalism matters. www.npr.org/2025/05/02/n...

New York friends! Come to Off-Brand Opera's [lab] concert this Friday & Saturday! You'll get to hear 8 fabulous opera scenes, including excerpts from Caitlin Vincent's and my sci fi opera BEYOND! Want to say hi? I'll be there Friday!

Friends- is there a name for this bassline pattern? Scale degrees 1, 3, 1, 6, 5 in minor, using this rhythmic pattern?

Cedar Rapids friends, I hope you'll attend tomorrow's Spring Serenade at First Lutheran Church! You'll get to hear the talented Jessica Saunders, Christina Gentzsch, and Marita Wolgast perform a program that includes Bye for Now, my setting of voicemails from Jessica's mother and grandpa!

If you love scoring a deal, I've got a great one for you-- the SUPER Flute Bundle! In one bundle, get my solo & duet works for flutes: Reach Out (solo C flute) Night Song for Moths (solo piccolo) Seal Mother (solo alto flute) The Hag of Beara (low flute duet)

In honor of Greater Flute Society of Portland's Flute Fair this coming Fri-Sat, all flute rep in my webstore is 10% off! Now's the time to snag solos & ensemble pieces like Seal Mother for Alto Flute, & The Hag of Beara duet for low flutes. Visit www.lisanehermusic.com/store to shop the sale!

Any of my friends here watch the Handmaid's Tale? I'm on Season 3 so no spoilers please!

Last chance to see Bitter Herb: a play in movement today at 1:30 pm at the Central Library in downtown Portland! Don't miss this beautiful, immersive retelling of Rapunzel, by Speculative Drama!

What's something you could use help with right now?

We're in serious need of ushers for our Bitter Herb shows this week! Can you help? Shows tonight (Tues 3/18) & Wed (3/19) at 6 pm, Sat (3/22) at 1:30 & 4, and Sun (3/23) at 1:30. Location is the Central Library Downtown Portland. DM me or reply in the comments and I'll connect you! Thank you!

tou·ché

What can you get by working with music business and career coach that's different from the support you receive from friends & colleagues in the music field? You can and should reach out to friends & colleagues for advice and support in growing your career!

What is "business and career coaching" for musicians? I use the word coaching to describe a kind of professional mentorship service that I offer that is different from a traditional singing or composition lesson.

Caught a few errata. It was inevitable, despite best efforts! Making a few edits this afternoon.

It's the weekend! Ask me anything! 👇

The last day and a half was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I was offered something really exciting that I wanted and worked hard for. Then it abruptly fell through. From the limited info I have, this wasn't anyone's fault, but an unfortunate change of circumstance. It still really sucks.

Done! 3 movements. 27 parts. Now onto the next project!

Parts. Parts. Parts. Parts parts parts parts parts parts parts parts parts.

Have you heard musicians talking about consortiums and wondered, what's that all about? Let's break it down. In a traditional commission, 1 performer, ensemble, or organization pays (commissions) a composer to write a piece of music. The commissioner gets to premiere it.

In just under 2 weeks, we open Biter Herb, an immersive theatrical retelling of Rapunzel! This is a beautiful show about the relationships between parents and their children and the challenges of letting a child grow up and become the master of their own destiny.

Another grant application submitted! Let's get this funding and make some opera! Grateful to my amazing New Wave Opera team for working together to get this in!

Announcing the winners of the 2025 Lisa Neher Young Artist Competition: Melioro Duo! Rebecca Keith, Oboe & Mason Cox, Bassoon, for their performance of Ping Pong! Watch their award-winning performance: youtu.be/rZf4Kq4Xcww?... @masoncoxmusic.bsky.social

🔋What are you doing to recharge this weekend (or if you work weekends, on your most recent or next day off)?

It's always a thrill and honor to write for large ensembles, but, as someone who only gets to do this rarely, it is *also* super intimidating and overwhelming to keep track of every part in the ensemble! I think one of the challenges is that I can't see the entire ensemble on my screen...

Snow is melting, roads are clearing, and we're excited to share Cycles of Life with audiences at 7 pm tonight in the intimate and cozy home of our hosts, Sylvia Gray & Viktors Berstis! A few seats are left, so if you want one, be sure to contact me for the address: www.lisanehermusic.com/contact

Sleep Saga by Dianne Davies is an audience favorite from our program Cycles of Life! It is inspired by sleepless nights Dianne experienced throughout her life...I bet you can relate to some of them! youtu.be/HqBs20Cqw7Y

These are really difficult and frightening times. ❤What's something you do that helps you cope? 🎶If you're an artist-is there anything that helps related to your artistic practice?