Composer Diversity Spotlight
April 2026
JORGE SOSA
Jorge Sosa (b. 1976) is a Mexican-born composer of opera, film music, and chamber music who describes his music as ”living at the
intersection of drama, technology, and social justice” (jorgesosa.com).
“Autobús de Pasajeros” from Sosa’s opera Generación Perdida was featured on soprano Katie Pelletier’s senior recital on April 2. Generación Perdida (2025), which is based on the book Ediciones Periféricas by Javier Moro Hernandez, explores the human rights crisis in Mexico.
VALERIE COLEMAN
Valerie Coleman (b. 1970) is a flutist, composer, and founder of the Imani Winds. Her piece Tzigane (2011) for woodwind quintet was performed by Pacific students as part of the
Varied Ensembles Concert on April 20. According to Coleman, the work was inspired by Maurice Ravel’s violin piece of the same name, as well as virtuoso string pieces by Pablo de Sarasate.
LILI BOULANGER
Lili Boulanger (18931918) was a French composer of music in the impressionist /symbolist style and the younger sister of composer and pedagogue Nadia
Boulanger. At nineteen years old, Lili Boulanger became the first woman to win the French government’s prestigious Prix de Rome with her cantata Faust et Hélène. Boulanger’s Marche gaie (1916) opened the Pacific Orchestras concert on April 24. The piece was thought to be missing until 2011, when the short score was found in a private family collection in North Carolina. It is believed to have been commissioned for the wedding of a Jeanne Leygues, a French politician’s daughter. The piece was orchestrated by Robert Orledge and published in 2012.
LEARN MORE
Jorge Sosa Generación Perdida
Valerie Coleman Tzigane
Lili Boulanger Marche gaie
Community Support and Resources
GENERAL INFORMATION
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | University of the Pacific
Diversity and Inclusion at the Conservatory of Music | University of the Pacific
STUDENT SUPPORT RESOURCES
Bias Response Reporting and Protocols | University of the Pacific
Campus Services and Programs | University of the Pacific Counseling and Psychological Services
Care Managers | University of the Pacific (Self-referral is encouraged)
Center for Identity and Inclusion | University of the Pacific
RESEARCH AND REPERTOIRE RESOURCES
Music Resources for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | University of the Pacific Libraries
Resources for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | University of the Pacific Libraries
Disability Resources | University of the Pacific Libraries