Tania León's Stride was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for Project 19, celebrating the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The work was inspired by the indomitable spirit of Susan B. Anthony. The Pulitzer jury describes Stride as "a musical journey full of surprise, with powerful brass and rhythmic motifs that incorporate Black music traditions from the US and the Caribbean into a Western orchestral fabric." Tania elaborates on the musical elements in the work in a Deceptive Cadence interview.
In a New York Times interview, Tania said: "It’s very nice to be recognized . . . But the biggest prize of my life is that I’ve been able to manifest a dream that started in a very small place, far from here, with people who are not here any more. That, for me, is what Stride is about: moving forward.”
After arriving in New York from Cuba in 1967 and a chance encounter with Arthur Mitchell, founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem, Tania built a remarkable career encompassing roles as music director, artistic advisor, and professor, all the while creating a catalog of music that now stands at more than 100 works. Next year, her new work for New Music USA's Amplifying Voices commissioning program will be premiered by the Arkansas Symphony, to be followed in later seasons by a consortium including the National, Detroit, and Auburn (WA) Symphonies and the Orlando Philharmonic.
We congratulate Tania León on this richly deserved recognition of a powerful work that honors the strides made by the women's movement and encapsulates her own journey as a musician.
