Baby Book
2017 • Soprano & Piano • 18'
Baby Book is a six-movement cycle on miscarriage, pregnancy, and motherhood, with poetry by Chloe Yelena Miller.
Awards & Performances
Spoleto Festival's 2017 G.C. Menotti Young Composer's Competition
The competition was created "to promote the activity of some of the most promising figures of the new musical generation."
Winner
World Premiere
Dr. Jessica Spafford and Dr. William Reber. Music by Women Festival, MUW. March 2018.
U.S. Premiere
West Coast Premiere: Laurel Irene and Mitsuko Murikawa. California State University. February 2019.
West Coast Premiere
Praise for Baby Book
The first time I heard excerpts from Baby Book, I knew I was hearing something truly rare and important. Lauren's compositional language lends itself to the deeply personal subject matter, with which so many women can identify, and it elicits emotional responses that perhaps were previously unknown.
Baby Book is not just a composition for voice and piano, it is a prolific work of art from the heart of a true creator with deep conviction for the subject matter and for the twenty-first century woman.
— Jennifer Poff, soprano
Baby Book surprised me with its full-figured construction and deep melodic connections throughout. On my first hearing I openly cried. The degree of sensitivity to which Lauren has written is perfectly in line with how these experiences feel inside. I immediately wanted to learn and perform the entire cycle to heal wounds that I still carry.
— Janet Brehm Taylor, soprano
I was immediately drawn to the work, the poetry, the musical lines, the articulation and colors, and the way Lauren set the texts and seemed to understand Natasha's instrument ... Natasha Foley and Lauren Spavelko are a talented team, dedicated to this very special project. This work "by women, about women, and for women" has the potential to become a valued addition to the American Art Song repertoire.
— Edith Davis Tidwell, soprano & retired professor of voice, University of Louisville
"Baby Book is a fascinating work touching on significant human issues related to pregnancy, miscarriage, and motherhood. The expressive melodies speak to the cries and joys of a loving mother longing to meet her child. The intuitive combination of lyric, line, and harmony present a beautiful palette of color suitable for both the finest of halls and the humblest of souls."
—Shane Mickelsen, No. 1 Billboard Composer/Arranger/Orchestrator