Nay’s News September 2026
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The beauty of fall will soon be here, and I’m so thankful for the rains that have arrived in Oregon. The days are getting shorter as we approach the equinox, and I’m loving all the vegetables coming out of the garden these days. This year we planted massive amounts of San Marzano tomatoes, so we will be making pasta sauce on the regular!
Some fun things to share with you this month…
Brave Light wins the Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition!
I can barely contain my excitement about this… my piece Brave Light is the 2026 winner of the Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition!
https://gleeclub.yale.edu/emerging-composers-competition
This fall, I’ll visit Yale for their performance of Brave Light at the Yale Princeton Joint Glee Club Concert on Nov. 13, 2026. I am so grateful for this incredible honor and opportunity.
SHE Commission Consortium launch!
A huge thank you to all the directors and choirs who joined the commission consortium for SHE, my new SSAA piece:
VOX Femina Los Angeles (Dr. Iris S. Levine)
Musae (Elizabeth Kimble)
Portland Symphonic Girlchoir (Roberta Jackson, Deb Burgess)
See Change Treble Choir (Amy Johnson)
University of Utah Voci Altissime (Emily Mercado)
Oregon City High School Bella Voce (Julia Voorhies)
The Cider Janes (Aliyih Bristol, Heather Schrock, Naomi LaViolette)
Lewis & Clark College Voces Auream (Aubrey Patterson)
Aurora Chorus (Rebecca Parsons)
Also so grateful to the folks who helped me with feedback on the score - my composition teacher Raphael Fusco, mentor Jocelyn Hagen, Sibelius guru Kate Janzen, and body percussion expert Aubrey Patterson.
Exclusive performance rights granted to consortium members through June 1, 2027. If one of these choirs is in your area, check out their concerts!
Upcoming Concerts
Join Oregon Repertory Singers for a special memorial concert honoring Artistic Director Emeritus Gil Seeley.
Gil hired me as the ORS accompanist over two decades ago. I’ll be accompanying the choir, sharing a few memories, and performing my own arrangement of a song by Joni Mitchell, of whom Gil was a huge fan.
Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 4 PM
First United Methodist Church
1838 Southwest Jefferson St.
Portland, Oregon 97223
FREE
Naomi LaViolette presents: Jazz Femina
Did you know that women are drastically underrepresented in jazz, making up only about 5% of professional instrumentalists and 8% of credited composers? That is why I have created Jazz Femina, a show celebrating jazz written by women and featuring female jazz instrumentalists (Cheryl Alex and Marianna Thielen are in the band!). Join us for the first performance in November!
Friday, November 6th at 6:30 PM
Festive Hill Winery
20100 SW Johnson Road, West Linn, OR 97068
$75 Dinner and Show / $25 Show only
Remembering Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton was such a bright light in this world, and she provided endless inspiration to me and many others as a songwriter and performer. She truly made the world a better place with her music, generosity, joy and love.
I am so grateful that the Portland Sage Singers will be honoring her with my new SATB arrangement of Beth Wood’s song When You Sing (How To Be Like Dolly Parton in Ten Steps) at their "Making Spirits Bright" concerts. Beth and I plan to attend! Join us Nov. 22 and 23 at the Patricia Reser Center for the Performing Arts.
After the Portland Sage Singers premieres the arrangement on Nov. 22, the score opens up to other choirs. Message me if you'd like a preview score for your ensemble.
Thank you, thank you for your interest and support of my creative journey. May we all enjoy the upcoming change of seasons with community, gratitude and music!
Your friend,
Naomi (Nay)