Virginia Commission for the Arts

(Eli)zabeth Owens

(Eli)zabeth Owens | Musical Alchemy

Educational Background/Training

Certifications:

BFA Photo/Film — Virginia Commonwealth University

BS Psychology — Virginia Commonwealth University + additional Masters in Music Education courses

K-12 Music/Choral Education License 

Teaching Experience:

  • 2022–Present: Camp Flix
    • Co-Director
    • Instructor: Audio Recording, Foley Art, Sound Design
  • 2019–Present: Private Music Lessons
    • Piano, Voice, Harp, Guitar, Production, Songwriting
  • 2021–Present: Grimalkin Records, 501(c)(3)
    • Co-founder and Creative Director
    • Instructor: Ableton Live 101 and Fruity Loops Workshops in collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries
  • 2019–2022: Camp Flix Summer Filmmaking Camp for ages 11-17
    • Assistant & Technical Director
    • Instructor: Audio Recording, Foley Art, Sound Design
  • 2019–2022: St. Benedict Catholic School 
    • General Music / Choir Teacher, PK-8
  • 2016–2017: Art180
    • led 2 6-week animation and comic-book creation classes for students at RJDC (Richmond Juvenile Detention) and Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Facility

About the Artist/Ensemble

(Eli)zabeth Owens is an avant-garde music producer, harpist, multimedia artist and educator based in Richmond, VA. After graduating college with dual degrees in Photo/Film and Psychology in 2015, they rekindled their passion for music and has devoted the last several years to crafting spiritual experiences through the alchemy of music, experimental video and interactive digital art. 

Blending over 10 years of classical training in piano, voice, guitar, and harp with their love of experimental time-based media, Owens’ work is a genre-fluid blend of audiovisual avant pop that endeavors to immerse listeners/viewers/players in expansive psychological cosmos where they feel both safe and courageous enough to explore their deepest selves and embrace experiences of existential dread, psychological dismemberment, shame, strength, and compassion.

At the root of their process shines a spiritual practice of deep listening and space-making that allows for disparate media (unconscious content of the soul, musical motifs, collage, written word, video and audio recordings, etc.) to converse and interact with one another through both artist and technology (sound and video editing, AI-generation, game development, etc). In this way, the raw material of the psyche is transmuted into a new and comprehensive view of the Self.

Influences include Holly Herndon, Kate Bush, FKA Twigs, Bjork, Joanna Newsom, and Caroline Polacheck.

Previous releases included Knock Knock — a three-act visual album about sobriety and what it means to be fully human — and Coming of Age, a folk/rock record about unraveling toxic myths.

For the last five years, Eli has also been passionately pursuing music education, teaching both private lessons and K-12. In what little free time they have, they also help run Grimalkin Records, a nonprofit record label and collective that supports marginalized artists.

Educational Program Description

Note: All workshops are flexible and can be catered for different group sizes and durations.

  • Insight Improv: Discovering Truths through Musical Play
      • A group workshop or series that encourages learners to explore their emotional/mental states through mindful improvisation techniques using a variety of instruments (both physical and digital). Mindfulness basics are taught and learners are guided through defining their own experiences and concepts while also learning about the history and science behind mindfulness-based practices.
  • Jamming Fundamentals: Musical & Nonverbal Communication Skills
      • Students of all ages and experience levels are invited to jam with each other on a variety of instruments (both physical and digital) under the coaching and guidance of an experienced musician/educator (me!). Through this process, they will explore and define for themselves the processes of active listening, nonverbal communication, improvisation, what sounds “good” or “bad”, and communal problem solving.
  • Self Remix: Exploring the Self(s) through Sound & Image (*note: topic can be changed from “Self” if desired)
    • A flexible workshop series designed to explore the various aspects of the Self through audio/visual play. Learners will have the opportunity to use both found and original audio/visual assets and learn to edit a short (2 minutes or less) video piece or soundscape expressing their traits of exploration. 
    • This workshop looks at the creative side of digital literacy, exploring artistic possibilities for Fair Use and Creative Commons assets while also learning about the history of artists who remix like DJs, collage artists, and music video editors. This workshop also encourages students to consider the concept of “Self” through a remix framework: making meaning through disparate media and materials.
    • Museum archives, internet databases, and even the images on our phones are all materials that we’ll explore in this digital remix masterclass. Students will create their own mashup songs (or soundscapes) with optional mashup videos or moving GIF album art covers using various archival and self-made digital materials.
    • This workshop has been successfully taught in the Smithsonian Summer Adventures program for multiple years, and had one of the highest signup rates of any of their virtual workshops. This educational program benefits learners within the Commonwealth by cultivating digital literacy, best research practices, developing technological skills in file organization, video editing and audio mixing, and critical thinking about by whom, where, and what media is accessed and how we credit source material.

Fees

Fees and rates are flexible and can be discussed during program initiation.

Generally, a 2-3 hour workshop will run between $500–$1000. Series and after-school classes are based on a variety of factors.

Audiences

  • All Ages
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