Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition
Class of 2023
1. Why did you choose to attend the Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art?
The Rome School (and Catholic U, in general) stood out from other programs to me because of its connection to Christian beliefs and the Church, as well as the friendly and genuinely caring disposition of the Composition faculty.
2. What is one of your favorite memories at Catholic U?
There was a day last November (2021) when I had to stay home due to illness, and so I was not able to be in class with the students or professor of the Harmony III course for which I was serving as TA. Most of these students had also been rehearsing a choral composition of mine that semester that contains the somewhat antiquated word, “Hark,” and the word had become a humorous greeting we often shared. That day, they all made a brief video to send me, with all of them shouting “Hark! Get well soon, Christian!” It was a thoughtful gesture and funny video I enjoyed as I recovered.
3. Who is your favorite composer and why?
One of my many favorites is Edward MacDowell, an American composer from the turn of the 20th century, who, along with his wife, Marian, founded the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire. I find his richly chromatic (yet tonally centric) harmonic language and aesthetic to be much in line with my own.
4. Has there been a moment, event, or person that has had a transformative impact on your life here at Catholic U? Please share your story.
Working on numerous composition projects with Drs. Stephen Gorbos, Andrew Earle Simpson, and recently Joel Phillip Friedman has greatly impacted both my compositional craft and thoughts on approaches to teaching. While each have individual strengths, they share a common passion for composition techniques of all types, attention to detail, and excitement for their students’ music and successes.
5. What are some of your goals for your future?
I intend to build my career in academia while continuing to compose music associated with my Christian beliefs, as well as grow my family with my wife, Courtney, and take on whatever we are led to do.
6. What composition are you most proud of and why?
Sovereign, a massive seven-movement work for wind ensemble based on the Book of Revelation. It was my master’s thesis and won a competition at my alma mater, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where it was also premiered in its half-hour entirety by their Wind Symphony. The compositional process for it involved a great deal of intense research into the text and interpretations of Revelation, as well as figuring out what it meant to me and creating an overall plan for presenting it as a musical retelling of the text. In the end, after it was finished, and especially after hearing its premiere, I felt immensely rewarded for the experience.