Ashtyn Brown

“He told me that he wouldn’t teach me more music theory,” Brown recalls. “I think he felt he wasn’t qualified above a certain level, but he did teach me how to write music—and the rest is history!”

Brown’s drive and passion for performance and composing paid off when she received an endowed scholarship from The New School’s prestigious Mannes School of Music.  She ultimately chose Mannes over six other universities and conservatories she had been considering.

“An endowed scholarship is a particularly special honor for me, as someone whose degree program may extend past the typical four undergraduate years,” Ashtyn explains. “It means that I will have financial support while pursuing my degrees, and I can devote myself fully to study.”

At Mannes, Brown is a double major in cello performance and composition, an ambitious course of study that has led Brown to believe that “all players ought to be composers, and all composers ought to be players.” According to Brown, adopting this practice will enable artists to expand the canon.

At Mannes, Brown is able to engage in that endeavor, with the support of outstanding faculty members such as Valerie Coleman-Page, whom she describes as both a “force of inspiration” and a “protector” of her students. Valerie’s unstinting encouragement and guidance have inspired Brown to discover her own voice and relevant stories. “We have to tell new stories—now stories,” she says. 

These avenues include expanding the world of modern music to acknowledge and celebrate more female composers like Brown. For hundreds of years, classical music has been dominated by men and, as she explains, new kinds of compositions receive little attention. 

“I feel that it is my life’s responsibility to change that, even minutely,” she says. “Why wouldn’t we want to encourage women composers as much as we possibly can? There are so many female stories that aren’t being told, even now!”

While she has a ways to go before finishing her Mannes degree, Brown has no shortage of goals. The young changemaker plans to continue writing “unapologetically female” musical stories and perhaps pursue a PhD or DMA degree in the future.

“I want music to be the language through which I leave my little mark on the world and on the people I encounter each day,” she says. “Everyone loves music in their own way, and I want to understand why! I want to be a champion of young composers and to make their sound dreams come true.”