research overview
- Annika Socolofsky is a composer and avant folk vocalist who explores corners and colors of the voice frequently deemed to be 'untrained' and not 'classical.' Described as “unbearably moving” (Gramophone), “grotesquely gorgeous” (Chicago Tribune), her music erupts from the embodied power of the human voice and is communicated through mediums from orchestral and operatic works to unapologetically joyous Dolly Parton covers. Her music has been performed by artists such as the Rochester Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, Eighth Blackbird, Third Coast Percussion, Sō Percussion, Beth Morrison Projects, and sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, and has been recognized with the 2021 Gaudeamus Award, the 2019 Cortona Prize, grants from Harvard University’s Fromm Foundation and the Barlow Endowment. Her research focuses on vocal physiology in in the music of Dolly Parton to create a pedagogical approach to composition that is inclusive of a wide range of vocal qualities and colors.