A speaker of great inspiration to aspiring artists will hit campus as the ISU Music Department welcomes Dr. Libby Larsen, an internationally reputed composer, who will give a lecture at the Recital Hall of the Music Building Tuesday afternoon.

The subject of the lecture will range from her most recent compositions to helping each person find his or her voice as a composer. This lecture begins at 1:10 p.m., it will be open to the public, and there is no admission fee.

Larsen is currently in central Iowa for the premiere of a new symphonic work entitled Blue Fiddler, which was performed over the weekend by the Des Moines Symphony.

In addition to the lecture, Larsen will be spending time with student composers and will attend classes and rehearsals. Larsen will also meet with the ISU chapter of SAI, which is a professional music organization for women.

The subject of Larsen’s lecture might seem intriguing only to people that are musically inclined, but it does go a little beyond that. Young women looking for a new role model can look at Larsen’s success, which came in a predominantly male field.

Larsen has had a very successful career that is highlighted by numerous awards as well as some groundbreaking efforts in organizations. Her compositions are played across the United States and abroad.

Some of the more recent accolades Larsen has achieved include her opera, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus, which was chosen as one of the top eight classical movie events of 1990 by USA Today. And just this year, a collection called Sonnets From the Portuguese was on the CD The Art of Arleen Auger, which happened to win a Grammy award in 1995.

Larsen was the recipient of such awards as the American Council on the Arts Young Artist Award, along with several commissions from such groups as the American Composer Orchestra and the Readers Digest Lila Wallace Foundation.

Her positions in the world of music are also very distinguished. Larsen was the Composer-In-Residence with the Minnesota Orchestra in the early eighties and has taught at two separate institutes. The diversity in Larsen’s work is unquestionable. Her works range from orchestra and choral pieces to opera, theater and dance.