A native of Philadelphia, Andrea Clearfield has composed many pieces for soloists, orchestras, and other ensembles all around the world. She has received grants and awards from ASCAP, Meet the Composer, The American Music Center, and several other organizations. In 1996, she won the International Alliance for Women in Music's Search For New Music for "On the Pulse of Morning," a cantata she wrote for chorus, soloists, and orchestra - all set to poetry by Maya Angelou. She is on the music composition faculty of the University of the Arts and the associate piano faculty of the Sarasota Music Festival.

As a pianist, she has performed with numerous groups, including the Court of the Dalai Lama. She is also the host, founder, and producer of the Philadelphia SALON Concert Series. Featuring contemporary, classical, jazz, electronic, and world music, the series is now in its thirteenth year.

Bob Remstein: How did the idea for Women of Valor first come about?
Andrea Clearfield: When Noreen and I met at the Aspen Music Festival, some wonderful, synchronistic things happened. We first met while waiting in line at registration, then saw each other again at Friday night services (at the Aspen Jewish Center). Ultimately, Noreen was asked to conduct the piece that I composed there; that was especially fortuitous. We stayed friends, both personally and professionally, and soon we began talking about doing a large-scale project together, a piece which incorporated voices and which would focus on outstanding women.

BR: How did you develop the form of the piece?
AC: When creating a lengthy piece, it's important to have a sense of the overall structure before starting to compose. Noreen lent me a book called Eis het Hayil which cites a midrash that likens each line of Proverbs XXXI to a different woman in the Bible. Of the 23 women, I chose 10 for the piece. I then spent hours and hours searching through hundreds of sources for either current-day, or at least relatively recent, texts on each of the ten women. Nine of the ten have texts assigned to them in the piece; one, Hannah, is represented only by instrumental music, since it is said that "her lips moved, but she didn't speak." That section, incidentally, is dedicated to my god-daughter, Noreen's daughter Hannah. And Hannah, it happens, is also my own Hebrew name. The section on Miriam is dedicated to Noreen herself, since Miriam is thought of as the first conductor: "She led the women in celebratory song and dance after the crossing of the Red Sea."

BR: Did you work directly with any of the poets?
AC: Some. And that, in some ways, was the most exciting aspect of my research, because I wound up going on a sort of spiritual journey, and along the way, I did meet several of the poets. Some offered their texts for me to edit and/or cut as the piece's form dictated; in most cases, however, the texts were used as is.

BR: In what way does the piece incorporate "biblical instruments?"
AC: Within the context of an orchestra, I am simulating them, although some Middle Eastern percussion, such as the dumbek, rik, and cystrem are used, as well as finger cymbals. With the tonal instruments, I have emphasized english horn and oboe, along with harp and flute, all of which might have been used in biblical times, or at least are related to instruments of the day. Also, I have muted trumpets playing the role of a shofar!

BR: How would you characterize the complete musical work?
AC: In my music, I have tried to draw from ancient sources such as cantillation, chants, and other traditional melodies and then mix them with a more modern theme of my own which pervades the work.

BR: I understand that your mother created a logo that will be used by Hadassah as a symbol of women of valor.
AC: My mother, Louise Clearfield, is a professional painter. She not only produced a logo, which is an abstraction of biblical women dancing, but she also created a beautiful painting, which she donated to Hadassah. It's all in blues and golds, with women in biblical dress flying through the air. It's very Chagall-ian.

BR: Did growing up around all that art affect the way you conceive of music?
AC: Yes. There's no doubt that I'm very influenced by having grown up with a painter, because I often think of sound and text in terms of colors.

BR: Throughout your work on this project, have you sought advice from other musicians and scholars?
AC: Many, many women have helped me along the course of the year and a half it has taken me to create this work: cantors, rabbis, scholars, various singers who tried out parts of the piece, translators - just a wonderful web of support. And my mother has been a part of all that. I dedicated Ruth's aria to her.

BR: How did Hadassah get involved as a sponsor?
AC: That was the result of Noreen's initiative. It has been her dream to do a piece written by a woman, about women, and conducted by a woman, so it only seemed natural to ask Hadassah to sponsor the piece. They agreed to fund the project, and since then, my respect for their organization and appreciation for their support has only increased.