A Higher Glyphic

Media Credit: Erik Skjerseth Soothing trumpet and jazz

Media Credit: Erik Skjerseth Chorus

Media Credit: Erik Skjerseth Upbeat piano and jazz

Combination of the three samples

Augusta Read Thomas flew in from Rome exclusively for students of SIUC.

Thomas was in town for a music festival hosted by the SIU School of Music and the SIU campus. The "Outside the Box" event hosts four composers over a two-week time period. View the Outside the Box Poster pdf.

About Augusta Read Thomas

Being the last of ten children, Thomas's mother worked very hard to support the entire family. As Thomas grew up she worked many waitress jobs to earn money as she went through high school, college, and as she started to compose.

Being a full time composer started in 2006 after she stepped down from being a full time composer-in-residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Augusta Read Thomas, born in 1964 said "music is my entire life" during her pre show lecture Tuesday night in front of a captive crowd in Shryock. Thomas earned her bachelors degree then attended Yale for one year of a Master's degree before dropping out to wait tables. Thomas, at the age of 28, applied for a teaching position at Eastman School of Music and Harvard, she received both job offers. She tenured at the age of 33 from Eastman, something Thomas said was "extremely rare for a person of this age."

During her lecture Thomas opened the floor up to questions after she discussed some general details about her life and influences as a composer. As Thomas spoke about details of her life, audience members sat speechless. Each question asked during the lecture was specific to her music, her life, and her musical experience.

When asked her favorite composer, Thomas paused and said in a compassionate voice, "Bach." She loves Bach, because he was so contemporary. Even today, she still likes Bach, as his contemporary music never fades into the abyss as many contemporary composers of today.

When asked what type of music Thomas listens to, she responded that she likes all types which include, jazz, rap, R&B, and classical. "I feel starved for sound," Thomas said. She believes her music must be deeply integrated with a very broad listening universe.

About the music of Augusta Read Thomas

Dr. Susan Stewart, Choral director of the SIUC School of Music, remarked one of her more meaningful moments in the pre show lecture came when Thomas said "all music has endless creativity."

Thomas' music is complex to understand by listening to it once. Her music forces audiences to think about her music while listening to her music. Thomas' music is shorter.

Throughout her lecture she always remarked as to how long each song lasted. She would say, "This one is two minutes long" or "this one is five minutes long".

Each of her pieces, even though they were shorter all consisted of tightly bundled themes compromising the entire song. Thomas felt a song should not repeat anything twice. Every note and detail of her music was important. Never once did a similar theme crop up twice. Each measure incorporated a new theme, and style.

This kept Thomas' artistic style fresh for listeners of her music. Augusta Read Thomas composes music for vocal, orchestra groups and for bands. Her 13 years of trumpet and love for jazz can be found in each song which she composes.

She demonstrated this through the SIUC wind ensemble when they played "Magnetic Fireflies". "Magnetic Fireflies", used a mix of non-traditional instruments normally found in a band setting, but mot of the time these instruments are rarely played. These include a wooden block, tam tams, and glockenspiels.

Thomas' music, some commissioned by Chanticleer and city orchestras and smaller bands, mixes Bach with modernism.

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