We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniel Gowans a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Daniel, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
Honestly yes, I think about this almost every day, in fact probably since I first started composing 14 years ago and probably will continue to! But actually, I don’t think it’s a bad one. In fact, to me, most artists seem to lose their comprehensiveness and efficacy the more they estrange themselves from the rest of the world and become one-lane focused. I find that exploring the world is actually one of the best ways to further enjoy being a composer: I’ve been a volunteer firefighter, helped deliver a baby, write highschool STEM curriculum for one of the largest homeschool curriculums in the world, perform at Carnegie Hall, play baseball with friends, visit nursing homes, hiked the Rocky Mountains, been a wedding officiant, helped break a world record…and the list just kinda keeps going. However, each time I consider something different, I’m confident that music is what I am called to do, from the lowest to the highest points in my life. And I find this a great privilege for which I am very thankful to be at peace about.
Daniel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
When I was in elementary, I, along with many other kids across the country, learned the recorded for school. And it was fun! One day, we were invited to write a short piece to perform for the class. Instead of just wanting to write something with the notes we had learned in unison, I decided I wanted to use what I had discovered (the next octave up and some other new notes) and write for three recorders. We played it, even though I didn’t know what was going on technically, and I think that was what sparked a curiosity which blossomed into a passion for writing music. My musical styles have since developed and listeners of my works may notice various influences that composers I love have had on me: my choral literature is largely influenced by Anton Bruckner and Johannes Brahms, and my instrumental chamber literature is probably more influenced by Arnold Schoenberg’s serialism, Igor Stravinsky’s polyrhythmic and polytonal tendencies, John Cage’s aleatoricism, and Gérard Grisey’s spectralism. I studied under Peter Aldins, from the Longy School of Music; Dr. Mathew Arrellín, PhD, of Northwestern University; Dr. Pitagoras Gonçalves, DMA, of Pensacola Christian College; and Brandon Schuler of Pensacola Christian Academy.
As of today, I can play around fifty various instruments; I’ve performed across the United States and Canada in some of the worlds most prestigious concert halls including Carnegie Hall in November, 2023; had my own private compositions performed internationally in Asia, Europe, soon to be South America, and of course the United States; and had the privilege of meeting and working with many world craft musicians. As a Christian composer, I find it difficult sometimes to try to find my place in the classical music world, considering it is not a popular thing to be a Christian at times. This doesn’t discourage me, however, and in fact has encouraged me to focus on more sacred literature. I find this area of music to be one of the most fulfilling for me to write, and it brings me great joy to compose for voices. I write primarily chamber literature, however, and it is in this area that I have won most of my competitions including 1st place in the 2022 TI:ME Composition Festival Original Composition–Collegiate Division, 1st place in the Original Sacred Composition Contest at Pensacola Christian College Summer Music Academy in 2017, and 1st place in the 1st Place in the 2023 Pensacola Christian College Commencement Contest–Original Composition. Since 2015 I have had roughly 30 premieres/performances of my works around the world, and have arranged several sacred pieces for traveling ensembles around the United States to be performed at churches, camps, and various functions.
I also have competed in various performance contests as well, winning 1st places in the Pensacola Music Teachers Association Sonata Contest with the 2nd movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata, Opus 13, Mvt. 2 and the Florida, District 1 Concerto Competition with Mozart’s Bassoon Concert Mvt. 1. In 2013, having been self taught as a sixth grader, I won first place at the Colorado Association of Christian School in the Middle School Music Theory Competition. In college, having been self taught via listening to music and score studying, I was the first in the school’s then 47 years, and currently still in 51 years, to have tested out of all five music theory classes without formal training. In December of 2024, I received my BA in Music with an instrumental emphasis in percussion from Pensacola Christian College and will be starting my MA in Worship Leadership from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary the Fall of 2025.
Having been offered endorsements from notable composers and educators such as Dr. Glen Roger Davis (2020 Pulitzer Prize Finalist and former faculty at Berkley) and Alex Marrero (alumnus of the Juilliard School of Music and Columbus University), I have very kindly gotten to know and work with many talented musicians such as Jason Haaheim (principal timpanist of the Metropolitan Opera House) Madison Marie McIntosh (Carnegie Hall soloist and 2020 winner of the American Prize), Manne Von M (winner of the Armenian Presidential Gold Medal Award), Giacomo Susani (Italian composer and guitarist), and Brice Smith (Adjunct Professor of Flute at Adams State University and Assistant Artistic Director for Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music Flute Academy).
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Unfortunately learned over the course of a few years, one of the things that became rather unenjoyable to learn was that arrogance and egos get you no where but loneliness, bitterness/resentment, withheld collaboration, fewer opportunities to learn, and an overall discouraging life as a composer. Early on in my college years, I found that I was focused more so on projecting my philosophies of music onto others, and if they couldn’t defend their philosophies articulately, there was some kind of categorical imperative that they must conform to my beliefs. Frankly, that just isn’t the case when it comes to the arts. It’s okay to like certain things and not be able to articulate why. Now, it’s not wise to stay there you’re whole life as an artist, as much of your career depends on growth and intellectually being able to deeply influence people; but early on, it’s okay to just simply say “I’m not sure I resonate with the same ideas you share, and I’m not sure why yet, but I just know I’m not quite there.” And that’s okay! We all grow into different artists. How boring would it be if we were all the same? The world also needs more kindness and giving the benefit of the doubt that everyone is intelligent and has good reason to believe what they believe about their artistic stances.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I sort of vaguely alluded to it I suppose, but as a Christian, my motivation for creating art and wanting to do my best comes from a desire to please and worship God. Everyone does this to some degree or another: a guy sees a beautiful girl and immediately an Ed Sheeran song comes to his mind as he thinks about her the rest of the day. If he’s a composer, he may go back to his studio and write a whole piece about her. She is his muse. If he starts inviting others to share in that beauty, he’s praising her. When I look at God and all He has done for humanity, for His children, and–most immediately understood by myself–for me, I respond with the same spirit of praise. My music is an invitation for others to see how incredible God is in my eyes. His love, mercy, and grace have all profoundly changed who I am as a person—all of me—and I sincerely want others to both emotionally and intellectually know that same experience of relationship with Him forever. John 17:3 says that eternal life is literally knowing God. I couldn’t put it any better. That motivates me to create music and pushes me to do the best I can every day, because every day is a gift, and I want to use that gift to please and glorify Him.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://danielgowanscomposer.my.canva.site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gowansdaniel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005309868167
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/daniel-gowans-0366b025a
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@onlinetheory5115
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/onlinetheory
Image Credits
Blythe Lane, First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Pensacola Christian College,