Credo
Let it be a striking chord, the beautiful color of a complex sound, the harmonic world, a pulsating rhythm, or the intensity of a piece—something must draw the listener to the music. That key opens the imagined sound world of the composer. It is the composer’s duty to bring the listener into his or her sound world, to welcome them by providing music they have never heard, bringing them into uncharted territory, but yet relating and communicating to the listener and giving them something to remember. With the informed mind of what has occurred before and occurs now, an honest heart, free intuition, creativity, craft, and skill, the music must be of the utmost quality the composer can create. It must be captivating, intriguing, compelling, and enticing.
Great art and music is entertainment, an experience, and transcendence all in one. It intrigues the mind, moves the body, and touches the soul to uplift the human spirit. Some say entertainment is cheap, others say intellectualizing takes away joy, and some say music should exist in the purity of its sound without need for extra-musical concepts or accompaniment. But I believe it is all connected and that the right balance of its affect on the mind, body, and soul must be achieved so that we may have a full human experience of art, or in this case, music. Great art and music make us feel alive and give us a glimpse of heaven or whatever one’s belief is about ultimate love. Realizing this and believing in this, I set to make this my goal in music, to write great music that uplifts the spirits of many.
Aesthetic Position in Classical Music
My music is about energy, melody, drama, varying intensity, lyricism, fragmented tunes, color, and expression. Melody and lyricism come natural to me and from that comes the passionate, free, sensitive, virtuosic, or rhapsodic spirit who seeks to communicate. Energy is the fuel that drives my music, either it be calm, relentless, playful, gentle, unhurried, or ready to explode. Abstract tunes bring out the scatting jazz singer inside of me, and my use of harmony sets the overall colored tone of my music, utilizing modal, blues, and jazz elements spiced with modernist dissonances or complex consonant sonorities. I use these ideas, take them, alter them, or let them be, and form them into a human sonic expression.
The aural diet, the intellectual diet, the music that is naturally within, taste, and choice all affect the composer’s output and aesthetic. I believe strongly in listening to as much music as I can from any genre and any era. I believe in being aware of any musical trend from ancient times to today. From this, one can develop certain tastes in music that are continually refined. It is also my belief that a composer or an artist must express what is found deep within themselves, that is which is genuine and true to that artist, and that which resonates with their soul so as to connect with others through this music. Keeping in mind all I know and have experienced, combined with what is within me, I aim to wisely choose how to put this to paper. The music must be a sincere expression, combining all these facets of experience and intuition. As an artist, I set out to fearlessly use and integrate any kind of musical inspiration or technique from whichever origin, time, style, sound, or genre in my music while still keeping within the realm of the classical tradition, which I cherish.