You'd do it for Eric Whitacre!(and other stories): Midwest Day 2

     The throngs were back at McCormick Place West on Thursday for Day 2 of the Midwest Clinic, and interest was high in a session led by John Phillip Sousa IV. Yes, you read that correctly. Sousa's great-grandson is here at Midwest. He shared several stories about Sousa's life and music, such as the fact that he joined the Navy Reserves at the age of 61, and was so excited about being made an officer that he was even buried in his Naval uniform. He also shared that Sousa loved smoking cigars, shooting guns, and playing baseball. But the most interesting revelation was about the inspiration behind the title of one of Sousa's marches. One day, JP was at a fair when he saw this ravishingly beautiful girl. Feeling so moved he was compelled to write a song about it, which he titled "Fairest of the Fair". After the talk, there was a mad dash for the next clinic, and for good reason foo. This session featured John Mackey, Steven Bryant, Jonathan Newman, and...Eric Whitacre. If Sousa was the first composer to reach rockstar status, Whitacre is among the latest to do so. The anticipation of the attendees could roughly be approximated by this clip right here:

Just replace Randolph Scott with Eric Whitacre and it all makes sense

     By the time the talk started, the room was fulled to capacity. Finally, the four composers came out to reminisce about their time studying at Julliard. Newman shared how he initially was reticent to get into composing because he thought that composers were supposed to just slave away behind the scenes without ever being known themselves. Eventually, Whitacre got the other 3 of them into composing, and the rest is history. The 4 of them also shared some tips for aspiring composers in the crowd. After that session ended, the attendees got a treat. As the exhibit hall closed for the day at 5 PM, close to 100 members of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity gathered to sing holiday standards(and a few fraternity songs as well). All told, it was a fitting way to close out the second day of the clinic.

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