INTERVIEW
AN INTRODUCTION TO COMPOSER KEVIN WILT
K
MARC DECKER
evin Wilt (b. 1984) composes music that balances sophistication with accessibility and experimentation with craftsmanship. He recently composed AutoBonn for Michael Francis and The Florida Orchestra in honor of Beethoven’s 250th birthday. He was a recent resident at the Millay Colony for the Arts, and winner of the Music Teachers National Association Commission in Florida. He won the Fresh Squeezed Opera Call for Scores with his chamber opera, Prix Fixe, and the Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble Composer Search. He was awarded a grant by the Atlantic Coast Conference Band Directors Association to create Urban Impressions, a multi-movement work for large wind ensemble. He was a finalist for the ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennel Prize, the Symphony Number One Call for Scores III, the Hartford Opera Theater Call for Scores, and the American Prize in orchestra, band, and chamber music categories.
SPRING 2022
He is equally at home composing for film and television, earning him a Michigan Emmy® Award Nomination for Best Musical Composition. Kevin holds degrees from Michigan State University (D.M.A. and M.M.) and Wayne State University (B.M.). He is Associate Professor of Music, Composerin-Residence, and Chair of the Florida Atlantic University Department of Music in Boca Raton.
COMPOSITIONAL PROCESS "My process has evolved throughout the years and I think of it in phases. In the first phase I’m focused on general concepts such as the character of the piece and its key characteristics. I start by creating a document with bullet points where I can write down free form ideas. The kinds of things I include can be potential titles, form, duration, difficulty, instrumentation, tonal centers, and key influences. By the time the process is complete I have an idea of the framework and notes to draw from.
Marc Decker is an Associate Professor of Music and Associate Director of Bands/ Director of Athletic Bands at Florida Atlantic University where his primary duties include directing the Marching Owls, ‘Parliament Sound’ Pep Band, and Symphony Band. He holds a BME from the University of Illinois and both an MA and DMA from the University of Iowa. Decker has previously held teaching and conducting positions at South Haven High School in Michigan, Gettysburg College, American University, and Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He is an active arranger, drill writer, guest conductor, and adjudicator, and is currently serving as President of the Florida College Music Educators Association.
The next thing, which is still part of the first phase, is to sketch a general timeline on a piece of paper with notes. The horizontal axis is a timeline with notches every 30-seconds. The vertical axis can either
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