Murder, She Sang: A Progression on Sopranos and Death by Jennifer Cresswell A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts (Music: Performance) in the University of Michigan 2021 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Stephen Lusmann, Chair Dr. Naomi André Professor Priscilla Lindsay Dr. Scott Piper Professor Stephen West Jennifer Cresswell
[email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9017-7138 © Jennifer Cresswell 2021 ii DEDICATION For the women who are told they can have it all, and are then told they must make choices. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS No success is achieved through the efforts of a single individual. I offer sincere gratitude and many thanks to the professors at the University of Michigan who guided me through this journey. Special acknowledgment goes to Stephen Lusmann, George Shirley, and Dr. Naomi André, whose support and encouragement have enabled me to sing with my best voice and remain focused on the tasks at hand. I also wish to acknowledge and thank the Center for the Education of Women, whose financial support and mentorship helped make the completion of this degree possible. Further gratitude is extended to the School of Music, Theatre & Dance Eileen Weiser EXCEL Fund, Rackham Graduate School, and John and Christy Spencer, for helping to fund the creation of the final performance piece of this project; INTERSTATE. To my two children, Elliott and Brenda: I thank you for the patience and love you have had for me as your mother throughout this process. I also wish to thank those who have offered their time and love to watch over you when I could not.