COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: JANAY MAISANO,"MENAGE A TROIS" ORIGINAL SCORE

Next week, on April 23rd, sees the debut of MCI composer Janay Maisano's original score for the student short film "Menage a Trois" at the University of Redlands. The score features a trio of musicians whose instrumentation consists of ukulele, alto saxophone, and piano. Maisano also served as conductor for the recording sessions of her music.

Read on to learn more about her process for creating this score:

­Describe your inspiration for composing the piece.
The main purpose for this score was for it to be fun, silly and enhance the film, since there is no dialogue. The film was produced by Nora Stock, a student here at the University of Redlands. To summarize the plot, there's a girl who is in love with a cardboard cutout of Harry Styles, but that cutout has an affair with another cutout of Elvis Presley. At the end of the film, it ends with the three characters sleeping together, and that's the story.

What is the overall conception for the piece (for example, is it programmatic or abstract? Is there a specific formal structure, color, or musical device you employed?)
The director of the film asked me if I could incorporate some music from both Elvis Presley and Harry Styles for the final product. I didn't want to simply rip part of the songs and claim them as my own, so instead I took some motifs from some popular songs and made them fit within the music and the film.

​What are some of the goals you strove to accomplish in writing the work?
Since the music is essential to this project, my goal was to give off a ridiculous, fun kind of vibe that makes people laugh when they watch the film.

What are some of the challenges you faced in writing the work?
There was the issue of copyright that I had to get around, and also the fact that I needed to be able to take this project seriously. The film is ridiculous, but it is a comedy after all, so I had to do my best to make music that was interesting, sight-readable, and still fun. I also told my performers that there was no need to take this incredibly seriously while recording because it's a film that is playful and ridiculous, and should exude that kind of feeling.

Is there anything specific about your piece that you'd like your audience to look out for?
If the audience can figure out what songs I took motifs from, I'd be impressed. Other than that, there's not much to look for.

What do you hope your audience ultimately take away the most from hearing your work?
As long as the audience laughs and has a good time, that's all I ask for.