One-on-One with Joseph Jones
We sat down with the emerging composer to learn about his experience during the 2021-2022 NATS Composer Mentorship Program and CSI’s 2022 Let It Be New commissioning project.
How did you become interested in composing for the voice?
I grew up around music, and singing in particular was always part of my home life. My father was a professor of music education and voice; he sometimes taught lessons at home so there was always music around me.
When I began composing in my early-mid teens I naturally considered writing vocal music. At that point most of my experience as a musician was instrumental: I had been playing violin for years and had also taken up timpani-percussion, so most of my ensemble playing had been in concert bands and youth orchestra. But I’d sung in chorus a bit as well and was starting to explore the oratorio repertoire and take an interest in opera, so I suppose I always knew that I’d write some vocal music eventually.
Can you describe what your experience this past year looked like with your mentor? What has this experience meant for you and your career?
I’ve had the great fortune of working with Tom Cipullo, who has been a fantastic friend and mentor. Conversations with him have been informal and informative; he’s been completely supportive and encouraging! I came into this program at a crucial time in my development. Although I studied composition at conservatory I sort of stopped writing afterwards, partly because I was so focused on building a conducting career, but also because I felt a lack of direction and support as a composer. (Suffice it to say that despite having a wonderful composition teacher, I did not feel any sense of career support or development from the institution or my colleagues - a tough way to feel when entering the real world!)
I had a very long period of inactivity as a composer and only returned to writing when the pandemic shut everything down. 2020 onward has been a productive period for me and for the first time in my life and career I felt some sense of hope for a future as a composer. But with my teacher no longer around (he passed away in 2009) and no mentor or support network in place, I had no idea how to even begin. The NATS fellowship was a huge step forward, and being able to work with Tom has given me a lot of confidence and joy.
How did you choose the text for your Let It Be New commission?
I’d only written a few art songs prior to my 2020 renaissance, and all of it was on my own text. I wrote several art songs in the summer of 2020 and a few in 2021, all on poems by other (real!) poets. I realized quickly how difficult it is to find texts which hit what, at least for me, is a sweet spot: text which is of high enough literary quality to set fairly easily, but not so great (or celebrated) that music would seem to be superfluous (or so wonderful that it has already attracted the attention of great composers in the past). Teasdale has always hit that sweet spot for me: her poetry is luminous, accessible, beautifully lyrical and relatable, yet not overexposed.
Being a New England native and having grown up on a farm, nature has always been a big part of my life and close to my heart, so any text which draws upon nature for its themes or symbolism always catches my attention. And, as anyone who knows me well can attest, I am no stranger to heartbreak (I have…been through some things), so it’s something I’m always interested in exploring from others’ point of view and expressing from my own.
What is your favorite part about writing song?
As a conductor I have learned a crucial lesson: less is often more, and sometimes the best way we can lead is to simply get out of the musicians’ way and let them play. I find that composing art song is much the same way: the text gives us most of what we need, from meaning to direction to the shape of the phrase. All that is left to us is to craft music which honors the intention of the writer and adds another dimension and element of expression. I really enjoy that challenge - and searching for the right text!
Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
I want to thank NATS, Tom Cipullo for his invaluable mentorship, Lori Laitman for helping to make this program possible, and the rest of the wonderful mentors and composing mentees for being fantastic colleagues. And, of course, our wonderful performers who are bringing these new pieces to life!
CSI’s Let It Be New concert features ten world premiere song commissions by the mentees of the 2021-2022 Composer Mentorship Program by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Stream the all-digital concert beginning June 26 at 4:00pm ET right here.
