Concerts and recitals are held every week at Ouachita and sometimes every day. Amid the myriad, a few performances stand out like the opportunity to hear the Navy Band. But coming up on March 31 is an even more unique opportunity, the chance to hear compositions written by fellow students.
The annual Composers Symposium was started by Dr. Francis McBeth more than 40 years ago. It showcases the recent works of composition majors and sometimes faculty.
“Everyone is encouraged to have at least one work in there,” said Dr. Patrick Houlihan, professor of music. “This year we’ll have five students represented plus me. Of those students, at this point it looks like we’ll have nine or 10 compositions performed.”
The composers are seniors Matt Landers, Jeremy Garrett and Matt Duckworth, junior Sarah Wood and sophomore Nathan Courtright.
They have spent at least a semester working on the compositions, drawing inspiration from various things.
Landers and Wood said they like to find inspiration by listening to their favorite composers.
Duckworth composed a piece directly inspired by Ayn Rand once. But he doesn’t see composing as a strictly creative process.
“Usually I don’t need to be inspired,” Duckworth said. “Composition majors compose about every day, so we have to learn to write even when we don’t feel very creative.”
The process of writing compositions is built up over six semesters of composition classes and studying a primary and secondary instrument. Rather than using a general method, each work requires something different.
“Instrumental composition is the most abstract of all arts, which may have to do with why it’s so difficult to talk about the process,” Houlihan said. “We spend a lot of time studying technique, the different elements of music that contemporary composers use a lot, as well as studying scores of other composers.”
The Composers Symposium provides the chance for these students to share their hard work with others. The first half of the concert is for chamber music and in the second half either the Ouachita Singers or the Wind Ensemble performs.
This year the Wind Ensemble, directed by Dr. Craig Hamilton, will be playing the composers’ ensemble pieces.
“Most schools that have a music program big enough to do this also have graduate programs and when it comes to having works performed by ensembles it’s almost always for the grad students,” Houlihan said. “Smaller universities usually don’t have ensembles good enough to perform the undergrad works. It’s a pretty unique opportunity that our students get to have ensemble works and choral works performed.”
The Composer Symposium will be in Jones Performing Art Center on Tuesday, March 31 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free.
