When I showed an early inclination for composing, my parents teased me about being the next “B” of great German composers. Surely that was fun for them, but despite my Germanic name I’m clearly a midwestern American with a variety of family lineages. Also, I was keenly aware that America had borrowed the European musical tradition and was experiencing a growing disconnect between that and other disparate cultural developments. There were awkward attempts to differentiate popular, folk and jazz in a broad category as distinct from “high art,” “serious,” or “legit."

The European tradition itself had splintered. Composers sought new directions through experimentation and the avant garde. While I loved to learn about and explore all the old and new ways to think musically, I was aware that audiences weren’t following the trends. Often the resulting pieces, and sometimes the concerts themselves, were esoteric. On a symphony concert, if the contemporary piece was placed at the beginning of the program, the audience would come late; if placed at the end, they’d leave early. Therefore the modern piece was programmed right after the intermission, with a grand classical concerto ending the program. Ah, now the audience was trapped. The only solution was not to come at all.

I gained a more vivid perspective on this during my years in Atlanta (1980s). As a freelancer, I was writing music for adventurous musicians who wanted an audience, so my involvement with them required that I help them achieve that goal. Audience-building was constantly on our minds. We wanted to make some money, too. It seemed, however, that maintaining professional integrity was all-important. We sought interested listeners, but “selling out” to please an audience or make a buck had to be avoided.

Now with the hindsight of several decades, I’m not sure I relate anymore to that concern. Were we afraid of mediocrity? Or chasing fads? There is a lot of mediocrity in music, to be sure — and there has always been — but people who care are moved by great music, whether it is classical, modern, pop or rap. The cultural landscape is extremely fluid, and within any genre is greatness. Music has never before been more ubiquitous, powerful, and in the passionate hearts of a broad population. Bach, Beethoven and Brahms are indeed amazing contributors to human culture, and it would be wrong to think of them as being replaced. They are still relevant, along with Billie, Basie, Beatles, and a continually growing list of “B’s” worth hearing.

I find that this composition career has been both exhilarating and confusing. I’ve always found myself more interested in championing a friend or colleague than pushing my own cause. I have never sought to have a style (although I probably do). I tend to think of composing as problem-solving; that is, what do I want to do this time, and what strategies should I use to get the job done? Among my output, you will find a love of melody, of harmony, and of tonality. Yet twelve-tone doesn’t scare me, and I often employ alternative scale structures and formal experiments, and I can swing from minimalism to impervious density. I always care about the listener’s experience, but even that can vary depending upon intent. With each video or audio sample, I have provided a very brief statement to give some perspective regarding character and intent.