Lisa Renee Ragsdale (b. 1950) began flute lessons at age eight and studied flute with Laurent Torno and John Kiburz as well as piano with Joan Torno in St. Louis MO. In her third year in HS, Lisa performed the 1st movement of D. Kabalevsky's 3rd piano concerto with a local community orchestra. She also performed a work for solo flute with her HS concert band in her senior year and performed with an all St. Louis County Wind Ensemble through Washington University the R. Strauss "Serenade", Opus 7. Lisa received a Bachelors in Music Education from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1972. Also she studied with composers Roland Jordan and John M Perkins at Washington University while pursuing an MA in Music Composition. In September 1989 Lisa was hired as Executive Director of the St Louis (MO) Chamber Chorus where she worked for two years. As Executive Director of the St. Louis Chamber Chorus, Lisa was responsible for all grant proposal writing, bookkeeping, financial reports, marketing and publicity. From October 1992 to December 1995, Lisa was a Stringer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writing classical music reviews predominantly on new music concerts. Lisa studied composition independently with composer Michael F. Hunt, PhD, in St. Louis from 1989 to 1993.
In May 1999 Lisa moved to Minneapolis, MN. Working as a freelance Development Consultant and Grant Proposal writer in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area, Lisa helped the MN Deaf/Blind Association receive a special computer specifically for the blind. Lisa was a recipient of a 2004 Jerome Foundation Composer's Commissioning Grant to compose her second Woodwind Quintet. Lisa was one of the three winners of Zeitgeist's 2010 Eric Stokes Song Contest with the 2nd movement from her Sonata for clarinet and piano. Lisa has had works performed in St. Louis, MO, Salt Lake City, UT, Iowa City, IA, Pomona, CA, Cape Girardeau, MO, and Minneapolis and St. Paul,MN. Lisa is an affiliate of ASCAP. She has been a member of the ACF for 20 years and a member of NACUSA for over 24 years. On July 23rd, 2018, Lisa's two String Trios were performed in New Hampton, New Hampshire. No performances expected any time soon despite three commissions!
In May 1999 Lisa moved to Minneapolis, MN. Working as a freelance Development Consultant and Grant Proposal writer in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area, Lisa helped the MN Deaf/Blind Association receive a special computer specifically for the blind. Lisa was a recipient of a 2004 Jerome Foundation Composer's Commissioning Grant to compose her second Woodwind Quintet. Lisa was one of the three winners of Zeitgeist's 2010 Eric Stokes Song Contest with the 2nd movement from her Sonata for clarinet and piano. Lisa has had works performed in St. Louis, MO, Salt Lake City, UT, Iowa City, IA, Pomona, CA, Cape Girardeau, MO, and Minneapolis and St. Paul,MN. Lisa is an affiliate of ASCAP. She has been a member of the ACF for 20 years and a member of NACUSA for over 24 years. On July 23rd, 2018, Lisa's two String Trios were performed in New Hampton, New Hampshire. No performances expected any time soon despite three commissions!