By Parker Leipzig
For Ray Fields and Rizgar Ismael, two student composers in the University of Maryland School of Music, composing is an art form that allows them to connect with people by transforming the notes on manuscript paper into something new.
Fields worked for the U.S. Department of Education until retiring in 2014. After his stint in government, Fields knew his next endeavor would have to be to go back to his “first love” — music. Fields began composing as early as 12 years old, always finding it an important part of his life.
He is now studying musical composition and theory as an advanced special student in the graduate school. Starting in 2022, Fields will be pursuing a Master of Music degree.
“Music is in some ways the most abstract of art forms, in which meaning arises through the human experience of organized sound over the passage of time,” Fields said. “When you think about it in these terms, it is a miracle that a purely musical event can be a shared human experience.”
Fields and Ismael had the chance to unveil their work at The Clarice’s Student Composers’ Concert on Nov. 17. The audience at the Gildenhorn Recital Hall and those watching the live stream at home witnessed the four performances.
Student musicians Madeleine Jansen, pursuing her doctor of musical art, and Johnny Shaw IV, a graduate assistant in the School of Music, brought Ismael’s work to life with their live violin and piano performances. Ismael, who is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts, said he writes his pieces with the musicians in mind.
“In essence, I draw my inspiration from instrumentalists of high caliber who have the ability to bring my music to life,” Ismael said.
Beethoven played a big part in Ismael’s love for composing, he said, along with his first composition teacher, Alexander Rapoport.
Fields’ pieces were short films, using visuals to bolster the sounds by flutist Dr. Grace Wang for Fields’ piece titled “Breathing” and the computer-manipulated acoustic sounds used to create “Elektronica Etudes 1, 2, 3.”
“Breathing” featured dancer Tessa Hom and the choreography and videography skills of Adrienne Kraus Latanishen.
Latanishen, an adjunct dance faculty member at the Community College of Baltimore County, said after being asked to assist in creating the choreography for the dance video, she listened to Fields’ piece and could immediately visualize how she wanted every detail.
She knew it had to be a solo dancer and that the lighting had to be dim with shadows to get the message across. Latanishen said it can sometimes be nerve-wracking to create with a composer’s work because she worries what they will think about how she interpreted their art. Although, she said she had a good experience with Fields.
“It was nice that he actually wanted to communicate and collaborate with me,” Latanishen said. “Because sometimes you don’t hear much and you’re not sure how the person felt about it, so it was really great to work with him.”
Connecting with others motivates both these artists to continue with their work even when faced with challenges. Fields said he treats writing like a problem-solving process that can be fulfilling in its own way.
“When the creative flow is at an ebb, I draw upon three principles: work every day, never give up, and trust that satisfying musical ideas will come,” he said.
Featured image: The Clarice’s Student Composers’ Concert on Nov. 17 featured work by student composers Ray Fields and Rizgar Ismael. Photo by Parker Leipzig.