Elisabeth Ross recieved a B.M. in Music Performance as a vocalist at the University of Iowa. Of Mere Being is her first published composition. She currently resides in Coralville, IA where she works as an elementary general music teacher.
Of Mere Being is set to the text of poet Wallace Stevens (1879-1955). Considered a major American poet of the 20th century, Stevens published a number of books of poetry during his lifetime. His poem Of Mere Being appears in the book "Opus Posthumous", a collection of poems, prose and plays published after his death. Of Mere Being, which explores the vast expanse that is the mind, is thought to have been written during his final year of life.