Mildred Souers

Mildred Elizabeth Thomson Souers^[1] (February 26, 1894 - August 1977)^[2] was an American composer^[3] who wrote music for ballets and ballet studios, as well as for chamber ensembles, piano, and voice.^[4]

Souers was born in Des Moines, Iowa, to Addie F. and Ogilvie Sinclair Thomson. She married Marshall Ankeny Souers in 1918 and they had one son.^[2]

Souers attended Drake University, where she studied with Francis J. Pyle.^[5] Later, she studied with Marion Bauer in New York.^[6] During World War I, she worked as a studio accompanist for Grace Jones Jackson, and volunteered as a weekly entertainer on Red Cross programs.^[1] She was an announcer for Iowa radio stations KSO and KRNT.^[7]

Souers belonged to the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP),^[4] the music sorority Sigma Alpha Iota, and the First Church of Christ, Scientist. She was a board member of the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra.^[8] One of her choral compositions won First Prize from the National Federation of Music Clubs.^[4] The Iowa Federation of Music Clubs honored her as their Composer of the Year in 1962.^[9]

Souers’ papers are archived at the State Historical Society of Iowa in the Annals of Iowa.^[7] Her compositions were recorded commercially by Hoctor Records,^[10] a sub-label of Dance Records, Inc.^[11] Souers’ music is published by Carl Fischer Inc., ^[12] Hal Leonard,^[13] and Willis Music Co.^[14] Her compositions include:

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Mildred Souers

Ballet

Piano

Vocal

References

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