In Focus: Juilliard Composer Visits BSU’s School of Music for Week-Long Residency

Bemidji State University’s Chamber Orchestra held a special performance Friday evening to perform pieces by Juilliard composer Eric Ewazen, who visited the school this past week to teach students about his works.

There’s a lot that goes into an orchestra concert: learning new music, working on sounding good as a collective, and, of course, playing in front of a real audience. And that matters especially when there is more on the line.

“Well, this is a very special week,” said BSU Assistant Professor of Music Eric Olson. “We have composer Eric Ewazen from New York. He teaches at the Juilliard School. He’s here at Bemidji State University for the whole week to work in the School of Music with students and with ensembles.”

The conductor guides the orchestra on how to approach each piece, but by bringing in the composer, it adds another element to the music.

“When Mr. Ewazen in comes in, he gets to give kind of the finishing touch, the polish on the work so that we can do it the way that he intended it to be done,” Olson explained.

“It’s fun to have them bring their depth of knowledge and their vision for a piece which can be very different from what ours is, and give that to us and help us change it and evolve it into what they’re looking for,” said BSU Music Education Grad Student Seth Freundschuh.

It’s not every day that students get to learn from such an accomplished composer as Ewazen, whose works have been performed all over the world.

“Fun doesn’t seem like a good enough word,” said BSU Chamber Orchestra member Emma Niessink. “An honor, I would say, is what it is to be playing for him, just because as students, we’re not there yet. We’re not professionals. You know, this is something that we’re all here to learn. And so it’s cool to see a role model, have an inspiration, and kind of show us what we can do.”

And not only was this a special event for students, but it was gratifying for the composer himself.

“Sometimes I hear them do new things that I hadn’t thought about before, and I find that very cool,” said Juilliard School of Music teacher and composer Eric Ewazen, “So it’s just interacting. The rehearsals I’ve been hearing are just outstanding! It’s not just learning the notes and playing them, but they give their kind of heart and soul to the music. They’re really being very expressive. So it’s a great experience.”