5/30/2023 0 Comments John mackey composer![]() Highly rhythmic, laden with percussion and infused with progressive rock and other popular influences, his compositions are ideally suited for collegiate bands who are attracted to strong grooves and loud dynamics. Of course, Mackey’s music is at the center of his success, and it serves him excellently given the market he targets. While I have met other composers with strong local presences, I have not met one with a following as strong and widespread as Mackey’s. Instead of submitting to the esoteric proclivities of our profession, he has found a way to update the social potential of composers within a given network. For these reasons, I think Mackey epitomizes much of what the modern composer should be. He takes advantage of social networking and other online resources to get his name out into the market and self-publishes his works, which yields allows him to control the distribution of his intellectual property and pursue copyright infringements when necessary. Mackey’s business sense is truly admirable. He is self-deprecating and open, and these qualities were probably the mot valuable elements I drew from his visit, given how closely they tie into his marketing success. ![]() Armed with an electrifying personality, Mackey knows how to fill a room and endear himself to strangers. As the night wore on, I realized – via Mackey’s own admissions – that appearing “cool” to the young people who so often perform his music is a critical part of his image as a professional musician. I was immediately struck by Mackey’s affability, which exceeded any estimate I could have made prior to meeting him. Though he came to Michigan for the October 1 performance of his trombone concerto, Harvest, Mackey’s interaction with the composition department took place over three evenings, starting with a casual outing to a local Ann Arbor bar on Wednesday, September 29. Since then he has received countless performances from high school, college and professional groups and has earned stunning national popularity best illustrated by his estimable total of 5,000 Facebook friends. Accurately described as a young hotshot, Mackey’s transformation from an unknown dance-music composer in New York to a wildly successful creator of band music began with the 2004 wind ensemble arrangement of his orchestral work, Redline Tango. Last week at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance saw a visit from renowned band composer John Mackey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |