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Concert showcases work of aspiring composer
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The libretto and score were written and composed by two individuals who are new to the world of opera, but whose names are nonetheless well known on campus and in the community. Former EOU music student Jesse Jones and Tom Madden, EOU professor emeritus, teamed up on the project, and a portion of their opera creation entitled, “Love Is . . . “ will debut tonight at 7:30 in McKenzie Theatre. Admission to the concert is free and donations will be accepted at the door to benefit both choirs. While the opera is not yet in its complete form, the audience will have the opportunity to hear three solo performances, one duet and the main chorus. Jones and Madden intend to complete the work later this year. When he was a student at EOU, Jones studied under Wordelman and fellow music professors John McKinnon and Leandro Espinosa. He experienced music in its many different forms, from classical, to jazz, to African drumming, to composition. He was also a founding member of the band String Helix and performed regularly at local venues. “I had the chance to do a lot of things that I wouldn’t have been able to do at a different school,” Jones said. But writing an opera was something that never occurred to Jones until Wordelman made the suggestion. “It was a daunting process but Peter was very helpful. I really learned a lot from him about how to write music for singers,” Jones said. Madden, an accomplished poet, and Jones devised the plot together. Once Madden had the libretto, or the words, down on paper, Jones began to compose the music. “There was a certain sound world that came out of his words,” Jones said. “The challenge was to find the most important text and then find the sound world to best accompany the aesthetics of the story.” Each song in the opera is between three and five minutes long. Jones said he usually completes an average of one-eighth to one-half of a new song every day. Members of the EOU Opera Club had the opportunity to try out the new music as it was completed and their involvement was instrumental in helping Jones fine tune the score. “It has been an optimal experience working with the singers,” Jones said. “You can hear immediately if something works, and if it doesn’t, you make adjustments and try again.”
 Jesse Jones “‘Naye-e Sin’ is an outstanding choral composition and one that moves choral music closer to the edge of its boundaries,” Wordelman said. “The work was written with movement in mind and the movements created by the composer have greatly enhanced the visual experience for the audience.” Jones graduated from EOU in 2005 and completed his master’s of music in composition at the University of Oregon. He will be moving with his family to Ithaca, N.Y., this fall to attend Cornell University, where he received a full-ride scholarship to pursue his doctor of musical arts and will be studying under 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steven Stucky. The scholarship is worth over $25,000 per year and will cover his tuition to the prestigious composition school, which accepts only two students each year. Jones was the school’s number one choice out of approximately 300 applicants. After he completes Cornell’s four-year program, Jones hopes to teach at a university and continue to pursue his passion for writing music. “This is just the beginning of my career,” Jones said. “What I’d really like to do is be a composer.” |
