Sorry I have been absent so long! I have begun pursuing my master’s of music composition at Roosevelt University CCPA, and have several projects I am currently working on (I will announce them all soon). Needless to say, life is a little busy in the best ways! Being involved with an academic institution opens so many doors it can be easy to have projects pile up quickly. Learning in a structured environment is a huge privilege. It is one I never want to take lightly. All of this is to say, education is hugely important. It is, for example, the difference between understanding O Fortuna from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana as the perfect music behind a Carlton Draft beer commercial, or as the bleak cries of a medieval monk feeling enslaved by fate. Learning changes how we see and understand the world. I’m not an expert on Carl Orff’s life, but given that he started a school and music curriculum I feel safe guessing he would agree.
Appleton West High School Wind Ensemble director Mike Ross and Director of Choral Studies Kevin Meidl have commissioned me to compose a piece that will premiere on a concert with excerpts from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana arranged for wind ensemble and choir. I am composing an electro-acoustic piece for wind ensemble and choir that will feature audio-recorded discussions with a variety of teachers and educators. Similar to Carmina Burana, this music will aim to reveal aspects of an institution we may not fully understand. The goal of this piece is not only to demonstrate that education is hugely important, but more importantly that good education is impossible without dedicated educators and teachers. This commission will premiere May 2017. More details to come soon!
In addition to the compositional work on this project I have been reading about Carl Orff’s life. This research has been eye opening in the context of this presidential election. The political climate in the United States right now has been equated to that of 1930’s Germany with the rise of the Nazi Party. It is debated how involved Carl Orff was with the Third Reich. I am not saying any of this to condemn Carl Orff or his music, I believe in nuance. But it has made me reflect a lot on my role as a composer, and what my work can do for the world. More on that another time!
Thanks for reading!
-Sean
Appleton West High School Wind Ensemble director Mike Ross and Director of Choral Studies Kevin Meidl have commissioned me to compose a piece that will premiere on a concert with excerpts from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana arranged for wind ensemble and choir. I am composing an electro-acoustic piece for wind ensemble and choir that will feature audio-recorded discussions with a variety of teachers and educators. Similar to Carmina Burana, this music will aim to reveal aspects of an institution we may not fully understand. The goal of this piece is not only to demonstrate that education is hugely important, but more importantly that good education is impossible without dedicated educators and teachers. This commission will premiere May 2017. More details to come soon!
In addition to the compositional work on this project I have been reading about Carl Orff’s life. This research has been eye opening in the context of this presidential election. The political climate in the United States right now has been equated to that of 1930’s Germany with the rise of the Nazi Party. It is debated how involved Carl Orff was with the Third Reich. I am not saying any of this to condemn Carl Orff or his music, I believe in nuance. But it has made me reflect a lot on my role as a composer, and what my work can do for the world. More on that another time!
Thanks for reading!
-Sean
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