Imagine a living, breathing, immortal entity that has the ability to influence the life of anyone it encounters. This is how a student involved in last weekend’s Festival of Contemporary Song described two art forms: literature and music.
William Horne, professor of music and coordinator of theory and composition at Loyola, organized Loyola’s first Festival of Contemporary Song which took place Friday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 18 on campus. Horne, a composer and prominent contributor in the music scholarship field, said the festival aimed to demonstrate the connection between poetry and contemporary music and showcase talent at Loyola.
“There’s a conversation that goes on between literature and music and always has,” John Biguenet, chair of Loyola’s English Department, said.
Horne invited Biguenet to participate in a discussion of the relationship between literature and music Sunday, Sept. 18 at the festival before Horne debuted his song “Something Like a Sigh”–an interpretation of Biguenet’s poem, “Scrimshaw.” Horne attributed the success of his performance to his friends and colleagues.
“John was so supportive in many ways,” Horne said. “Feeling that support was, I think, the most gratifying part of it.”
Appreciation of and collaboration among participants during the event was evident during a performance by pianist Logan Skelton (A’84). Skelton studied under Biguenet during his time at Loyola and has gone on to receive international critical acclaim for his music.
Established artists, however, were not the only performers at the festival. Horne extended the invitation to perform to current Loyola composition students. Dylan Tran, senior composition major, was among them.
“It was super nerve wracking,” Tran said. “I actually screwed up.”
Despite this, Horne said he chose the artists featured in the festival for a reason.
“He really is just starting in composition and he has a great talent for writing for the voice,” Horne said of Tran. “He’s written some wonderful choral pieces, which have not been performed yet for the most part.”
In addition to performing, each featured musician taught a master class to music students of various disciplines, but Horne said master classes were not the only way to learn at the festival.
“There is the further, less direct teaching for students who simply attend the programs and hear the music and observe that high level of performance skill that guest artists have and pick things up from that experience,” he said.
Biguenet, who refers to himself as a layman when it comes to music composition, was impressed with the performances he experienced.
“To see the mixture of mature composers like Logan and Bill and young composers at the very start of their career and young singers, that was really very striking, just how much talent there is at this university,” Biguenet said.
Tran also appreciated the performances and noted his love for contemporary song.
“Music is a living, breathing, arguably conscious being and it’s just as important to take action in the present as it is to reflect on the past,” Tran said.
