An Introduction to Composer Kevin Wilt – Marc Decker

AN INTRODUCTION TO COMPOSER KEVIN WILT

MARC DECKER

Kevin 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. 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

An Introduction to Composer Kevin Wilt, Marc Decker, cont.

be intensity or score order, which helps me brainstorm orchestration. If something is for strings it’s down low and for flutes it’s up top. I only know if the chart is referencing intensity or orchestration because every day I’m working on it. Looking at a sketch months or years later, I can’t usually figure out what it means or even what piece it’s for. This is because the sketch is meant to help me make decisions before I put musical ideas on paper.

The first phase is the process of conceptualizing the work before writing down notes. Choosing a note is a very specific decision, and that has to come later. The general decision making of sketches allows me to learn about the piece so I can look at proportions. For instance, determining how much to build up to an idea and how long to wind down after reaching the climax. This allows me to respond to what I’m seeing and balance in different ways. The first phase of my compositional process allows the piece to take its own shape and is helpful in bringing things together. The second phase starts when I grab 12’’x18’’ staff paper and write down musical ideas. Every day I try to write one minute of uninterrupted music. It could be a rhythm, chord progression, or melody, but should not be connected to what was done the previous day. The idea is that by the end of a week I have at least seven minutes of material to draw from. Eventually I’ll have enough to make decisions about which ideas are permanent, and that’s when I switch to notation software.

The third phase is determining which ideas I’m going to commit to. I work in short score with a grand staff for every family of instruments and a few blank staves to move things around. One important concept for this phase is borrowed from oil painting. That’s to keep the paint wet and workable as long as possible. For this reason, I write out chunks of music and work on them independently. I might write notes to myself in the short score about instrumentation, but I don’t want to stop the process to write that out. Over time, the more complete I make that short score the faster I can orchestrate, edit, and finish the piece. The final phase is the orchestration and editing of parts.

I want to take a moment to talk about procrastination because so many composers, including myself, struggle with it. When I wake up every day I don’t jump out of bed and think to myself, “I can’t wait to start composing!”. There are so many other things I could be doing and it’s sometimes hard to get motivated to sit down in the chair and compose. But, I want to compose because if I’m not doing it regularly I don’t feel right and have a hard time enjoying the rest of my day. So, I spend a lot of time thinking about my process to become more efficient and to learn where I get stuck. For me it’s switching gears to my third phase, determining what material will have a permanent place in the piece.

That sense of permanence causes a lot of composers to shut down and the way I’m able to overcome it is by generating as much material as possible during my second phase, so there is more to draw from. If you have more uninterrupted concepts on paper, it isn’t as daunting to commit to some ideas and discard others. Where a lot of composers slam on the breaks is when they write one note at a time, and then decide if that want to keep it. Composing that way would take forever to get anything done. The important thing to acknowledge about procrastination is that it’s about fear. Fear that something might fail, but also that

something could succeed more than we anticipate and we don’t know how to handle that. Composers inside the creative moment shouldn’t fear failure, because if something is bad we are going to fix it before handing it off. So, I often remind myself that something may not be good today, but it will be better tomorrow."

STYLE AND INFLUENCES "I got into composing because I was inspired by John Williams and film music in general. I grew up taking piano lessons, but focused mostly on popular songs and didn’t do much classical repertoire except for playing percussion in my high school wind ensemble. I started my undergraduate composition degree wanting to do film scores and my music reflects this influence in both its lush scoring and accessibility. My first exposure to contemporary composers who didn’t write for film was during my undergraduate degree. I remember being in a theory class listening to John Adams Harmonielehre and it was one of the first pieces I heard by a living composer whose feet were firmly planted in the classical world but didn’t write for film. I was drawn to this piece because it pulled me in, had a lush orchestration, and made sense to me. I’m drawn to those who write for large ensemble and whose music feels like an evolution of an older tradition. A few of my influences include Christopher Rouse, Michael Gandolfi, Stephen Stucky, Christopher Theofanidis, John Adams, John Corigliano, Andrew Norman, Jennifer Higdon, and Joan Tower. These are composers who when you listen to their music it pulls you in and it sounds fresh, but also feels familiar. You should be able to put their works on the same concert as Beethoven and it should sound new while not existing in a completely different world. That balance is the kind of new music I enjoy and is reflected in my works."

An Introduction to Composer Kevin Wilt, Marc Decker, cont.

SELECTED WORKS FOR BANDS

To hear recordings please visit kevinwilt.com

River of Grass (2018) • Length: 7 minutes • Difficulty: Grade 3 • Premiere: The Florida

Atlantic University Wind

Ensemble, Kyle Prescott, conductor

Note: "River of Grass is a soundscape for concert band, commissioned by a consortium of band programs local to the Everglades. The primary goal of this piece is to allow younger musicians to recreate sounds found in their backyard. Including the clicking of sawgrass, the growling of alligators, the back and forth chatter of insects, and the trills of owls. These sounds are draped over several moods, from the dangerous to the serene."

Imagined Adventures: March of the West River (2020) • Length: 4 minutes • Difficulty: Grade 5 • Premiere: The Florida

Atlantic University Wind

Ensemble, Kyle Prescott, conductor

Note: "March of the West River is the third in a series of pieces called Imagined Adventures; short, programmatic works based on childhood fantasies. This piece suggests the timeless childhood game of “Army” as played by rambunctious pre-adolescents on the streets and backyards of a typical suburban neighborhood called “West River Estates.” Although it contains martial, march-like elements, they are filtered through the energy and innocence of kids. Not only are these adventures about childhood fantasies, but for me, they are also about composer fantasies. Writing these pieces allows me to play in a film music-inspired sandbox I might

An Introduction to Composer Kevin Wilt, Marc Decker, cont.

otherwise not get to do."

Concerto for Saxophone Quartet, Winds, and Percussion (2014) • Length: 24 minutes • Difficulty: Grade 4.5 ensemble, advanced/ professional quartet • Premiere: h2 Quartet and the University of

Oklahoma Wind Symphony,

Dr. William Wakefield, conductor

Note: "Concerto for Saxophone Quartet, Winds, and Percussion is a three-movement work based on a single melodic line. This line serves as the theme in the opening movement’s theme and variations, as the blueprint for developments in the second movement, and as a template for the harmonic language in the finale. Although there are moments of individual solos throughout the concerto, I have largely treated the saxophone quartet as a single, multitimbral soloist, calling upon tight ensemble playing."

Song of the Phoenix (2011) • Length: 11 minutes • Difficulty: Grade 6 • Wind Ensemble Premiere:

Michigan State University

Wind Symphony, Dr. Kevin

Sedatole, director, 2011 • Orchestral Reading: Detroit

Symphony Orchestra,

Leonard Slatkin, conductor, 2010 Note: "Song of the Phoenix is a symphonic poem that is approached on two metaphoric fronts. One suggests the story of the phoenix bird itself. In the myth, the bird dies in a bright flash of fire, and is then reborn from the ashes it created. The other metaphor is one of urban renewal. Too often we see structures that are torn down in order to quickly build new, usually less interesting buildings in their place. Renovation and preservation have fallen too far down on the list of priorities when it comes to rebuilding our city skylines. My goal with this work is to remind listeners that renewal and renovation can go hand in hand. Buildings can be created from the materials and structures that were there before, adding a historical richness to their modern functionality."

ADVICE FOR CONDUCTORS PERFORMING YOUR WORKS "One of the things specific to my music is the importance of precision and finding the groove. “Groove” is a buzz word that many composers use when they describe their music, but to me it refers to something very specific. A groove isn’t something that just starts and stops. It’s a collection of musical ideas that coalesce and organically grow or dissolve out of something. In order to establish it, the ensemble needs to sit back in the pocket of the groove and not play on the front of the note. Rhythms need to be treated with precision, but the group should be relaxed as if they are a jazz ensemble. I encourage any conductor who is struggling with precision in my music to approach it this way."

THOUGHTS ON COMPOSING FOR WIND BAND "Writing music in the band tradition is a great opportunity for a composer. The advantage is numbers, because there are so many bands throughout the country all hungry for new music. This creates the potential to gain a lot of traction as a composer, hearing your music performed and receiving commissions. But, it can be a double-edge sword, because when pieces gain traction quickly and every band is programming the newest work, composers try to chase the same thing. This new repertoire turbulence leads to composers wanting to write music that sounds like whatever is trending instead of establishing their own style. This is especially true of composers who have never written music in the band tradition. What most of these composers do – because they are human – is they listen to the most popular pieces that we

are all looking at and try to get their work to achieve the same success. But, I don’t believe that’s what most band directors want who are eager to play new music by composers with a unique voice. What would be better for the repertoire is for composers to resist these trends and establish their own style. This would help evolve band repertoire and allow us to find more great composers."

UPCOMING WORKS "I’m currently working on a few different compositions including the score to a film called “The Hitman” written and directed by a local law enforcement officer, and an orchestral work for the Midway Symphony Orchestra in Texas. Most recently though I’ve been focused on a work for two percussionists and chamber orchestra called, “What the Eyes Speak”. It is meant to address the overlooked prevalence of depression, and how it interferes with our ability to see the good in the world. Like Ives “Unanswered Question”, one performing force wrestles with its reaction to the repeated stimuli of the other. The goal of this piece is to illustrate and illuminate the internal battles that mute our engagement with the world, while reminding us that, despite our struggles, there is always beauty to be found." An Introduction to Composer Kevin Wilt, Marc Decker, cont.