MCI-FRONT PORCH COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: DUNCAN PETERSEN-JONES

The next Composer Spotlight of our upcoming collaborative concert with Front Porch features a new work by MCI composer Duncan Petersen-Jones. Each of the five composers who will be featured in this event were asked to create a piece of music reflecting environmental issues within their respective local areas. Petersen-Jones's piece seeping into the pure water addresses the ongoing issue of pollution within the Great Lakes.

Read on to learn more about Petersen-Jones's new piece:

Describe your inspiration for composing the piece.
I was inspired by the beauty of the Great Lakes of Michigan. They can be so beautiful and pristine, but they might not always be like that. Pollution, through dumping trash in local rivers and factory waste going into the ground, makes its way to the Great Lakes. These lakes need to be protected, which is why I decided my piece would be about this problem.

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?)
This piece has two natures to it - the beautiful nature of the lakes, which over time is slowly taken over by the sludge, the pollution that is slowly corrupting the lakes.

What do you hope your audience ultimately take away the most from hearing your work?
My main point for this piece is to inform people about this pollution affecting the Great Lakes. It is a serious problem that needs to be addressed and hopefully this piece will convince people to take action to protect the Great Lakes.

For you, as a composer, what has been the most beneficial and rewarding part of your collaborative process with Front Porch?
Working with Front Porch was a great experience. They were able to take my piece and really make it into a real work of art. While composing is what I do, that is only half of what makes music. The other half relies on musicians to make the music what it is, and Front Porch did all this and more. I am very lucky to have written for this amazing ensemble.