Meredith Butterworth
Manager, Alumnae Engagement at Barnard College
Education:
Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance, UNC Charlotte (2009)
Master of Music in Theory and Composition, New York University (2016)
“In two semesters, there was only one guest speaker that was a black woman, and no Latino composers.”
“We had David Lang, Phillip Glass—big names. And they’re all fantastic composers. But in two semesters there was only one guest speaker that was a black woman and no Latino composers. It made me think about how I want to contribute,” remembered Meredith Butterworth.
Meredith Butterworth graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2009 with a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance. While at UNC Charlotte, she studied composition with Dr. John Allemeier and subsequently enrolled in New York University (NYU), receiving a Master of Music in Theory and Composition in 2016.
Meredith was the only black female composition major at NYU. “NYU is a diverse university; a lot of people travel from different countries to study there. But there weren’t a lot of black people, honestly.” Each Monday a “Composers’ Forum” presented a guest speaker. “We had David Lang, Phillip Glass—big names. And they’re all fantastic composers. But in two semesters there was only one guest speaker that was a black woman, and no Latino composers. It made me think about how I want to contribute.”
Since graduating, Meredith has become committed to “creating a space for people of color to be represented” in the new music field. With fellow UNC Charlotte alumnus Matthew Primm, she started Particular Ensemble, which she hopes will become a music series that “gives a space for those voices to come out.” And her music will be included in a new recording of compositions for duo clarinet by women and minority composers, featuring UNC Charlotte professor Jessica Lindsey.
While at NYU, Meredith composed her first work for string quartet, Thoughts for Four. “Thoughts for Four represents a new life experience,” she says. “It can be viewed from the perspective of the relocation of a person to a new place, meeting new people, hearing new music, or taking on a new professional challenge.”
The work received its premiere on April 23, 2013, in a New York performance by the JACK quartet, a leading contemporary music group called “superheroes of the new music world” by the Boston Globe.
In 2018, we interviewed Meredith for The College of Arts + Architecture’s 10 year anniversary. This is an excerpt from our digital publication, CoA+A Community.