Sophia Schiffer, “The Voyage”

The Voyage follows the adventures of a massive pirate ship as it sets out to sea. At times the sea is peaceful, with gentle waves rolling alongside the ship. Other moments feature rougher waters, including a vicious storm. Listen for the biting wind in the upper strings and the thunder in the lower strings.

[Program note by the composer]

Instrumentation:

String Orchestra

Perusal score:

Sophia Schiffer is a violinist and composer. Most of her works feature a soulful, cinematic style, many are written for string orchestra. One of her pieces was premiered by a nationally award-winning high school chamber orchestra. Her music takes listeners through a narrative of shared human emotions. Schiffer also explores the blend of electroacoustic sound, especially in her screen scoring studies.

She was accepted through a competitive admission process into a workshop where she wrote a piece for musicians from the Seattle Symphony which was to premiere in April 2020. She participated in masterclasses with composers Jennifer Higdon and Ryan Wigglesworth.

Schiffer is currently a freshman studying at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.

PRE-PROFESSIONAL COMPOSER

Sophia is included in our series highlighting works by

young, pre-professional composers.

Performance materials are available by contacting the composer:

sophiaschiffer2025@u.northwestern.edu