Vonn Vanier, Composer

Who or what are the most significant influences on your musical life and career as a composer?

Throughout my journey as a composer and musician thus far, I’ve been very fortunate to have had a variety of fantastic mentors who have guided me as well as spectacular settings which have offered me great inspiration. My time as a musician began in third grade when I joined the professional Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, a program connected to my K-8 school in San Francisco. In addition to teaching me much of the music theory and musicianship skills I hold today through the rigorous rehearsal schedule, my time in the choir inspired me to continue pursuing music. I still have fond memories of singing Mozart’s requiem alongside an orchestral ensemble, learning to identify concertos and symphonies by ear with my family, and eventually having the choir perform my first ever composition – a short SATB hymn that I had composed at the piano – upon reconvening after a year-long hiatus during the COVID lockdown at my 8th grade graduation.

From there, I was inspired to continue composing and was very fortunate to attend the Boston University Tanglewood Institute composition program for the following three summers where I studied with Drs. Martin Amlin, Justin Casinghino, and Len Tetta. These mentors pushed me to expand my breadth as a composer, experiment with contemporary music styles, develop my technique and orchestration skills, and very much shaped my musical voice today. The experience of being at Tanglewood and having had the opportunity to work with fellow young musicians surrounded by the beautiful Berkshire Mountains inspired the deep love for collaboration that I have carried with me as a composer. As an 18 year-old who has lived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the past four years, I have also been inspired by the beautiful natural surroundings in my town as I continue to advance and develop.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

For me, the greatest challenges of being a composer have come from the efforts each day to navigate the ups and downs of the artistic process. As I write, I’ve found that on some days the inspiration flows naturally onto the page, while in other instances I stare at a blank screen. The unpredictable nature of the process is often frustrating and challenging for me, and learning how to be patient with these ups and downs and overcome the difficulties of mental block has been a process which I’ve continued to this day.

What are the special challenges/pleasures of working on a commissioned piece?

As a young composer, there’s nothing more exciting than the chance to bring a new piece to life with an ensemble. Collaborating with musicians to shape the music as I envision it—and then sharing it through performance or recording—is always a uniquely rewarding process. The limitations that often come with a commission, such as the specific requirements regarding instrumentation, length and deadlines, tend to offer a mixed blessing. While they can sometimes feel restrictive, they provide a valuable starting point, and the time pressure helps keep me focused and productive. In addition, understanding the unique strengths of a particular ensemble allows me to tailor the music accordingly, often leading to a more effective and compelling final result.

What are the special challenges/pleasures of working with particular musicians, singers, ensembles or orchestras?

For me, working with musicians and ensembles is perhaps the greatest joy of being a composer. Over the past several years, with the help of my friend Jeremy Cohen, an eight-time Grammy nominated producer, I’ve been immensely fortunate to work with a variety of very skilled performers and groups including the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra, Quartet San Francisco, Quinteto Latino, and pianist Brenda Vahur on my recent debut album Dawn. To hear my compositions go from the paper to live performance is truly inspiring – I will always remember how magical it was to hear the Skywalker Symphony play the opening chord of my work “Rhapsody in C Minor.” I’ve found that each ensemble brings their own interpretation to every piece, and to hear these different approaches is enriching for me as a composer. I love the mutually collaborative and constructive nature of working with musicians; I enjoy offering feedback to help them better draw out the mood and expression of my works in line with my intentions while also receiving their suggestions for improvement. While it can be challenging at times to perfect a certain passage or determine the best way to draw out the expressive nature of the music, it is always a rewarding process in the end.

Of which works are you most proud?

The first piece that comes to mind is my orchestral tone poem, Lost at Home. It marked a key moment in my growth as a composer. The idea came in 10th grade after reading Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front in English class. Struck by the mental decline of the main character, a German soldier traumatized by his experiences in World War I, I was inspired to write my first ever orchestral work based on the novel’s themes. The piece has three sections, each reflecting the protagonist’s mental state. The first evokes the battlefield using snare drums for gunfire and brass glissandi for oncoming planes and a brief quotation from Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony to reflect the soldier’s sense of confusion and dislocation. The second section depicts the protagonist on leave; it uses the theme from Brahms’s Variations on a Theme by Haydn to convey comfort but eventually ascends to a climax as fragments of the first section interrupt the theme and shift the music into remote keys representing growing alienation. The final section returns to the battlefield, restating earlier material and introducing a darker Brahms variation in B-flat minor—suggesting war has become the character’s only familiarity. Lost at Home helped me break a creative rut and inspired me to blend traditional and post-tonal techniques in a vivid, expressive way moving forward.

How would you characterize your compositional language?

At the moment, I’d describe my compositional style as very diverse from piece to piece. I draw inspiration from a wide range of composers including Brahms and Beethoven and Schoenberg as well as film composers like Hans Zimmer. My current style could be described as an emulsion of these diverse voices. Many of my orchestral pieces carry a dramatic and heavy quality often using orchestration and structure reminiscent of Hans Zimmer’s “Time” from the movie Inception. In contrast, some of my chamber pieces adopt a more playful tone, featuring lighthearted dialogues between instruments and colorful harmonies. Still others, such as my solo piano piece OPCI—named after the post-tonal concept of Ordered Pitch-Class Intervals—take on a more technical and mathematically driven approach.

How do you work?

My approach to composing largely depends on the piece and its specific context. I usually begin in one of three ways: by drawing inspiration from a technical concept (as in “OPCI,” or “Jagged” for string quartet, inspired by the octatonic scale), a vivid image (like a shimmering lake in “Shimmer” or the dramatic mountains of my home in Jackson, Wyoming in “When Golden Leaves Turn to Frost”), or a specific melody or motif discovered while improvising at the piano (as in “Witching Hour” for string quartet). From there, I develop the material and shape the structure of the piece. When working under a deadline, I try to write daily. If I am inspired, I often compose linearly, following instinct and intuition. When I’m not, I create short sketches based on initial ideas and later expand the ones I like, stitching them together with transitions. Once a first draft is complete, I revise the piece much like editing an essay—refining transitions, cohesion, and fluency, and rewriting sections to better reflect my intentions until I’m satisfied with the result.

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

For me, my definition of success as a composer is writing music that combines contemporary and novel styles of music with more traditional classical and Romantic styles to create something that is fresh and broadly accessible for diverse audiences. In general, I seek to write music that is as memorable, engaging, and exciting as possible.

What advice would you give to young/aspiring composers?

As a young composer myself, I still believe I have a lot to learn—both about the music industry and my technique as a composer in the years to come! With that said, I’ve found that it’s crucial to find great mentors who push you to think differently and who genuinely inspire you. Stand on their shoulders., especially when things get frustrating (which inevitably they will). And above all, stay enthusiastic and curious.

What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences?

In addition to promoting greater diversity in the classical music world, I believe it’s crucial for current classical music lovers to involve younger generations. As a teenager, I have observed that many of my peers have little to no exposure to the genre, which only reinforces the stereotype that classical music is antiquated, obsolete, and boring. But with more exposure and by presenting it as a genre with unmatched power to tell stories—one that’s energetic, powerful, entertaining, and inspiring—we can grow its audiences. I like to point out that when people turn on the television and watch a movie, they are often hearing classical scores in the background, whether they realize it or not. Many of these, like the music from Star Wars, TheDark Knight, or Indiana Jones, are iconic parts of pop culture and help define the films themselves. Classical music is as relevant and exciting today as ever – it’s just a matter of helping more people, especially younger generations, recognize that.

What’s the one thing in the music industry we’re not talking about, but you think we should be?

As classical music continues to evolve and as new young composers find their voices, I think it is crucial that we talk more about how the genre can break new ground while still remaining accessible and appealing to wider audiences.

Vonn Vanier’s album Dawn is out now