Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shawn Crouch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shawn, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
There are three projects that are incredibly meaningful to my work as an composer; “Stained Glass, an opera in one act”, “The Road from Hiroshima, a Requiem”, and “Paradise” for a cappella choir.
Storytelling is central to my creative process. My latest compositions incorporate cutting-edge technology to convey a narrative. “Stained Glass” (2024), a one act opera directed by Jeffrey Buchman, uses immersive projections and augmented reality technology to tell the story of Mamah Borthwick, the romantic and intellectual partner of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The audience, wearing Meta Quest goggles, experiences a mixture of live projections and augmented reality assets that immerses the audience into the visually stunning world of Wright and Borthwick, and integrates geometric models, architectural facades and diffused light into the visual landscape. The opera was premiered at the Knight Center for Music Innovation at the Frost School of Music in March of 2024 and marked a new era in opera theater production in its use of technology.
Prior to Stained Glass I explored storytelling as it pertains to the human experience in “The Road from Hiroshima, A Requiem (2005/rev. 2022)”, and Paradise (2006). The Road from Hiroshima, A Requiem was commissioned by Seraphic Fire and weaves the poems of Brooklyn-based poet Marc Kaminsky into the Latin requiem mass text. The 60-minute composition for soprano and baritone soloists, choir, children’s choir and orchestra, tells the stories of survivors of the Hiroshima bombing in reverse order, beginning with months after the bombing and working backwards in time to Hiroshima as an industrial city before the war. The Miami Herald called The Road from Hiroshima; A Requiem a “staggering achievement, an imaginative, powerful and deeply moving work.” Recently Hiroshima was given an emotionally moving performance by the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers in the decommissioned Hanford Reactor B in Richland, Washington. The Hanford Reactor was the nuclear reactor which produced the plutonium for the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945. Writing this work, and revisiting it many years later for the Hanford performance was incredibly moving. My grandfather was a captain of a B-17 bomber during WWII and flew missions over the South Pacific. This work, along with Paradise is a coming to terms with war and my family’s participation in it.
Like “The Road from Hiroshima”, “Paradise” was written in reaction to world events, here the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan where my younger brother served two tours in the Marines from 2002-2006. Paradise, commissioned by the all-male ensemble Chanticleer is a collaboration with the American poet and author Brian Turner. The 20-minute a cappella composition weaves Turner’s moving accounts of the Iraq War with the 12th century Persian poet Hāfez. The composition brings the listener from descriptions of the desert landscape, through Turner’s perspective on what it means to take a life, and finally to a place of acceptance. In between many of the movements lie choral settings of Hāfez’s poems. The words call to the modern poet like ancient spirits speaking through the battered landscape.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
While I actively pursue a career as a composer, conductor and educator, I consider my primary role in music as that of a composer. I began my formal studies of musicianship, composition and piano at the Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore, MD at the age of 12 years old. There I connected with faculty members from the Walden School of Young Musicians, a summer music program in New Hampshire whose curriculum integrates musicianship with improvisation and composition. I spent nearly 15 summers at the Walden School; first as a student and later as a faculty member. It was through the Walden School that I began to compose at a relatively young age and write for professional ensembles such as the Prism Quartet, the Peabody Trio, the Del Sol String Quartet, and the International Contemporary Ensemble. The Walden School gave me a strong foundation in musicianship, composition, and most importantly in musicianship pedagogy which remains at the core of my teaching philosophy to this day.
When I left high school I intended to pursue a degree in jazz performance and composition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. After spending two years studying at Berklee I made the decision to transfer to the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) as a classical composition major, which offered a more rigorous conservatory curriculum. NEC was a phenomenal training ground for a young musician, and I worked closely, and made strong connections with young Boston-based new music specialists, many of which later became leaders in their field. I conducted numerous programs of new music and sought out multimedia collaborations with local dancers and artists. While studying at NEC I was deeply involved with cutting-edge music education projects through the Center for Music-In-Education, which is located at NEC. There I assisted in the music portfolio research and assessment program which studied music integrated curriculum in elementary schools. All of these early experiences, both as a composer, conductor and educator have shaped every part of my career.
After NEC I spent two years as a composition fellow at the Yale School of Music studying with Martin Bresnick and Ezra Laderman. I attended the Norfolk Contemporary Music Festival and the Tanglewood Music Center, both as a composition fellow, and in 2002 moved to New York City where I taught full time at the Hunter College Campus School. At Hunter I was director of the choral program teaching students in grades 7-12. While in New York I also immersed myself in the contemporary music scene performing with new music ensembles such as Cantori New York, and having my music performed and commissioned by New York City based groups such as the American Modern Ensemble, the Prism Quartet, and the Lost Dog New Music Ensemble among many others.
In 2009 I made an unconventional career move when I was invited to become the Founding Director of the Miami Choral Academy, a tuition-free afterschool music program comprised of 250 students from underserved communities of Miami-Dade County performing in six after-school choirs. The Miami Choral Academy showed sustained growth during my leadership and is now used as a model for similar El Sistema programs throughout the United States including the Cincinnati Choral Academy and the Pacific Choral Academy. When I returned to school to complete my doctorate in composition it was so that I could fully invest my time to contemporary music as a composer and conductor.
My formal studies culminated with a D.M.A. from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where upon graduating I joined the Theory and Composition Department. I am currently Associate Professor of Practice at Frost where I teach composition, musicianship and conduct the contemporary music ensemble, Ensemble Ibis.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I love this question. There are so many rewarding aspects about living one’s life as an artist. I am a very spiritual person, not religious, but spiritual. I know that sounds cliche, but it is true. I think of our lifetimes as classrooms where we learn from our experiences, those around us, and our chosen paths. For me, I choose to bring art into the world, and included with that, one is then automatically a teacher. I’m always teaching, even beyond the classroom. As an artist, I guide my community to truly listen, see, and feel. As a musician, I teach them to hear not just music, but each other. After all, making music in an ensemble is impossible without listening to those around you. I show my community that art is essential to giving life meaning. I encourage my students to live as vessels for this mission, serving humanity through their creativity.
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that I get to see life through the lens of possibility. I have the freedom to explore and tackle the big existential questions: Who are we? What is the meaning of it all? Through my music, I can make profound connections to the things I love—nature, architecture, storytelling, and spirituality. While there are administrative and business sides to my work, the true essence lies in asking, “What can this be?” And that question serves as a metaphor for nearly every aspect of life.
As Walt Whitman writes; “That you are here—that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
We need to redefine success for artists in this country. What does it truly mean to be a successful artist? This question is at the core of why so many artists experience burnout, frustration, poor mental health, depression, and anxiety. Society often measures success by certain standards. In music, it could be winning a Grammy or Pulitzer Prize, or having your work performed by the New York Philharmonic. Yet, very few artists achieve these lofty goals, which often have little to do with the actual quality of the art. Instead, they are often based on who you know or whether you fit a certain image that can be marketed. But society still judges an artist’s success based on these accolades.
We should redefine the role of the artist as someone who is central to their community and a source of pride for it. One of the most famous composers in history, J.S. Bach, created music primarily for his small town of Leipzig, Germany. Despite being highly regarded today, he was not widely known outside his community during his lifetime. He wrote significant works like the St. Matthew Passion and B Minor Mass for local church services. He composed for his friends and was commissioned to create pieces as the town’s local composer.
Imagine a time when communities uplift their local artists. Instead of hiring a famous artist to paint a mural downtown, why not commission a local artist who has grown up in that same community? Encourage local churches and schools to commission new compositions for their choirs, bands and orchestras. These interactions with local artists would have a far more lasting and meaningful impact than bringing in a famous name for a short visit. When a local composer collaborates with an ensemble over months to create a new work, the community becomes part of the creative process. The result is often a reflection of the values and interests of the community itself. This is how artists can truly serve and lead their communities, rather than being on the sidelines as distant observers.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: @Crouchcomposer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Crouchcomposer/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shawncrouch155
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shawncrouch
- Other: Ensemble Ibis: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXAlgPdqzrxt4mH8b5AmEvA
