Bernadette Speach

Bernadette Speach (born January 1, 1948 in Syracuse, New York) is an American avant-garde composer.

Speach was a nun at St Joseph of Corondelet from 1966 to 1977, teaching music in parochial schools during that time. She studied with Nicholas Roussakis at Columbia University and with Franco Donatoni at Siena in 1976. After 1977 she left the sisterhood and acquired a Ph.D. at SUNY Buffalo, studying under Morton Feldman and Lejaren Hiller. She moved to New York in 1984 and married musician Jeffrey Schanzer. She served as director of Composers Forum from 1988 to 1990 and president of their board from 1990 to 1994; in 1995 she became director of The Kitchen. She is the president of the Buffalo New Music Ensemble.

Her music reflects a strong influence from Morton Feldman, but also is significantly influenced by jazz, including liberal use of improvisation.

Note: this list is incomplete.