Thoughts on a gray afternoon in Potsdam, NY
written by Ivette Herryman Rodríguez
Bahlest Eeble Readings Cycle 16 Fellow
Thoughts on a gray afternoon in Potsdam, NY
The Bahlest Eeble Readings were my third program with GLFCAM. As a composer, it was a luxury to have performers read my music with intention, ask questions to understand what I was trying to convey, and offer alternatives to show me a more idiomatic way to execute an idea for their instruments. It was also a luxury to have the input of the fellow composers and Gabriela, who is so generous with her knowledge and makes you feel that your music is the most important thing at that moment of the reading. She listened with intention and offered insightful and priceless feedback to each of us.
For both GLFCAM’s Virtual Artist Partnership Program, which I did in the spring of 2022, and the Bahlest Eeble Readings, I composed starting with the creation of “seed ideas,” a term that I heard from Gabriela. The seed ideas would later evolve into a larger section, a movement, or a whole piece. Prior to this, I was used to writing linearly (i.e. starting in m.1 and going forward reaching the double bar). I would hear composers say, “I have the ending ready and now I am writing to get there,” and I would not fully grasp what that would mean in practice. Writing seed ideas meant for me to find musical material with enough potential that an entire piece could be created out of it. It also meant going deeper and not abandoning this material without having explored it carefully and thoughtfully. I equate this approach to writing a story in which you first develop the personality of each character, and then you place them in the story. The seed ideas are the parts and the story is the whole, and when writing in this way, one is addressing both realms.
Another new experience for me as a composer was the opportunity to write a piece over a long period of time, and to break up the process into different stages. It was challenging because there were other pieces I had to write in between, and because staying in-tune with the process meant overcoming the distance between myself and this new piece that was being formed very slowly. It was, however, a lesson about composing as part of one’s lifestyle. I was used to composing for deadlines, one commission at a time, then moving on to the next piece. But with this extended approach, this new piece stayed with me, sunk in, and became an extension of myself during that full year. Actually, one seed idea gave birth to an almost 8-minute movement, and the second seed idea is still growing into a contrasting second movement. I think I will continue to use this longer-term approach to writing whenever I can in the creation of future pieces.
In the Bahlest Eeble Reading program, I had the privilege of getting to work with some outstanding performers. I was struck by the intentionality of these performers. They cared about who we were, what music we wrote before meeting them, and what we were trying to write for this specific moment. That was a life lesson for me. I now seek to get to know the work of my fellow musicians because, as I learned from these performers, it shows that one values what others do and who they are.
Bahlest Eeble also created connections for us: connections with the fellow composers in the program, with the performers, with GLFCAM’s staff, with the American Composers Forum, and by doing so, it introduced me to a larger community of composers and performers. There are so many composers out there doing great things! There are such fine performers out there doing great things too!
I currently live in a rural and small village in northern New York. Bahlest Eeble Readings program opened up my world, and I will be forever grateful for that. I am certain that I will continue to interact with the people I met through this program. This program was a vehicle for personal growth and building relationships, for learning and implementing good professional practices, and for music-making of the highest caliber. I will also be forever grateful for that.
2/1/2024
Ivette Herryman Rodríguez
3:48 Eastern Time.
Potsdam, NY, on a gray afternoon.
Ivette Herryman Rodríguez holds a B.M in Music Composition from the Instituto Superior de Artes, in Havana, a M.M in Music Composition from Baylor University, and a M.M in Music Theory and D.M.A in Music Composition from Michigan State University. Ivette’s music has been described as “absolutely exquisite” and “breathtakingly beautiful” (Kevin Noe-Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and Director of Orchestras and Professor of Conducting at the UMKC Conservatory of Music). She is the composer of a bestseller piece for women’s choir, and the winner, among other awards, of a Cubadisco Special Award, and a Brandon Fradd Fellowship in Music Composition. Ivette’s most recent commissions include new works for the Lantana Brass (University of North Texas) and Michigan State University's Symphony Band. Currently, she is Assistant Professor of Theory and Composition at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.
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