Award-winning novelist and songwriter Roma Calatayud-Stocks holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Minnesota. After additional studies at MacPhail Center for Music and the University of St. Thomas, and in line with her life passion of honoring world cultures through history, music, and the arts, she turned to a professional career in music composition and historical fiction writing.
In 2011, Calatayud-Stocks debut historical novel, A Song in My Heart, was published. This award-winning book includes a CD with Roma's original musical score to accompany and complement the story. This work is the literary and musical realization of years of study, research, composition, and artistry.
Roma incorporated classical, jazz, and Latin musical influences as she composed A Song in My Heart's fourteen vocal and instrumental songs. To produce the album, she enlisted the talent of recording artist Chan Poling as arranger and performer, as well as that of other musicians of note.
Background Work: Roma's debut album, Carnival of Life, was released in 1998. In 2002 she created Latin Renaissance, a celebration of Latin cultures sponsored by the Minnesota Orchestra Volunteer Association at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Roma served as Artistic Director and Producer of this concert, showcasing the work of Latin composers from the 19th Century to the present including the world premiere of her waltz "Vals Del Sol".
Roma serves as a trained volunteer Docent at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and at the Walker Art Center, as well as a member in the ¡Cantaré! advisory committee of Vocal Essence, and board member of MacPhail Center for Music.
Ms. Calatayud-Stocks is available for speaking engagements and Arts Educational workshops on these topics:
* Music History - United States - Mexico - Minnesota
* Music History - Classical, popular, and Latin
* Culture, Music, Art and Traditions from Around the World
* Writing Historical Fiction
Publisher to provide foreign rights for A Song In My Heart (Multicultural story set in US, Mexico, and Europe)
Publisher to translate A Song in My Heart to Spanish Language
Literary Agent - Film/TV Rights
