2005 MTNA-Shepherd Distinguished Composer of the Year: Michael Djupstrom

American Music Teacher, June-July, 2006 by Ann Rivers Witherspoon

The 2005 MTNA-Shepherd Distinguished Composer of the Year Michael Djupstrom is, at age 26, already embarking upon a rather remarkable career as a composer, pianist and educator. He completed M.A. and B.M. degrees in composition at the University of Michigan. He states his professional goal as being one that seeks "... to revitalize and foster public interest in classical music, especially in contemporary music, through my activities as a professional composer, performer and educator. In the future, I plan to teach composition in a university or conservatory; I want to help young composers to develop not only their technical skills, but also their awareness of the important connection between musician and listener, their sense of interdependence with the audience." Djupstrom currently teaches at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia and actively composes and performs with the Phoenix Trio, a Boston-based piano trio.

What inspired you to compose the MTNA award-winning "Walimai"?

I found the creative impulse for this piece--as well as its title--from "Walimai," a short story by Isabel Allende, which is part of her collection Cuentos de Eva Luna (Stories of Eva Luna). I've long enjoyed her work, and these stories, in particular, are so intensely colorful and dramatic that many of them suggested a musical illustration to me even after a single reading. I attempted an orchestral sketch based on another of the stories for an orchestration class at the University of Michigan, but "Walimai" is my first completed work that was inspired directly by Allende's work.

Practical matters also had a lot to do with the creation of the piece. In 2005, I was offered a commission from the Michigan Music Teachers Association for a chamber work to be premiered at their annual state convention; around the same time, Professor Donald Sinta, who teaches saxophone at Michigan, approached me about writing a work for saxophone. Brian Sacawa, then a doctoral student of Sinta's, wanted to get involved in the commission, too, and so my piece for the MMTA became a saxophone work. The qualities of that instrument shaped the piece to a large degree: the warmth of its sound, its incredible facility and flexibility, even the works that make up its standard literature all influenced me.

What is your favorite instrumentation, if you have one?

I'm not sure if I really have a favorite group to write for. The thing is, I often don't choose my instrumentation. Usually, a request for a piece comes from a particular performer or group of performers, and their makeup determines a lot. Each group of instruments or voices sets up certain challenges and presents a number of different solutions for a composer. In the case of "Walimai," I was particularly comfortable with the instrumentation, so it presented fewer problems and more options for me. I used to study the saxophone somewhat seriously myself, and even after I gave it up, I continued to spend a lot of time with the instrument as an accompanist for many of Professor Sinta's students at Michigan. So I was both familiar with the instruments, in particular, and much of the standard literature available for that combination.

Though I said I might not have a favorite instrumentation, there are still many groups I haven't yet explored but would love to write for. And I'd like to compose again for the orchestra; it provides such a varied and limitless palette of sounds that I think it would be hard to ever grow tired of it. Recently, I've been fascinated by music combining live musicians with some kind of electronic element. It's something I'd like to learn more about, though it might be a bit down the road for me.

What composers have had the greatest influence upon you? In what way?

I first fell in love with the classical music of the early 20th century, and composers active during that period--Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky to name a few--have had the most obvious impact on my own music, especially in terms of harmony. Their music inspired me to learn about how music functions on a sophisticated, intricate level--really, to learn about composing. Earlier composers like Brahms, Schubert and Beethoven have taught me about economy of material, and yet, look at the incredible variety they were able to create within that! Romanian composer George Enescu is a newer favorite of mine; much of his music has a subtle, elusive quality that both confounds and delights me.

What teachers do you consider to have had the greatest influence upon you? In what way?.

In composition, I think I owe the most to Bright Sheng, with whom I studied as an undergraduate and graduate student at Michigan. He taught me to demand excellence in my music, that if I wanted to write great music, I should compare my works to masterpieces. And he taught me innumerable ways to study and learn from those masterpieces, to make those composers my teachers. It's how I learned about structure from Beethoven, economy of means from Brahms, or the vocal line from Puccini--without consciously imitating their music, I learned to extract the truths they presented in their pieces and use them in my own work. Bright was also the first to make me believe in my own abilities as a composer. I owe a lot to him and I'm very grateful.