Case student composer hits the right notes with publishers
Hunter Ewen become one of the youngest composers
to have contract with Le Duc
November 23, 2005
| For more information: Susan Griffith 216-368-1004
 Some college students may struggle to meet a 10-page paper deadline, but Case
Western Reserve University senior Hunter Ewen recently composed a 460-page
musical composition for wind band while juggling upwards of 28 semester hours
toward his mechanical engineering and music degrees.
As a composer, he also is learning what it means to be published. His new
arrangement of Eugene Bozza’s Aria was contracted by France’s Le
Duc, with distribution rights in the United States by Theodore Presser.
Case instructor Greg Banaszak, a Grammy Award nominee saxophonist, will record
Ewen’s arrangement with a new orchestra from Krakow, conducted by Krzysztof
Penderecki, and for a CD release by Centaur Records next July.
The contract with the prestigious French music publisher makes him one of
the youngest to be published by Le Duc and received an exclamation of “sacré bleu!" (colloquial
for holy greenhorn) when they learned he was only 21.
The Aria arrangement is his third major publication, with two works—Travels
and Seven Ancient Empires, both quartets—picked up by American music
publisher Ken Dorn.
The published works are a fraction of his 29 compositions created since 2000.
Many of the works are short in comparison to Ewen’s full-band score
of Hamelin, After the Rats, based on the children’s story of the Pied
Piper of Hamelin and what happens to the children after they are imprisoned
in the mountain. Last summer, Ewen received a Case Support for Creative Endeavors
Award that provided him with room and board and the opportunity to complete
the music.
The work will premiere at Case in March 2006, a day after Ewen is to give
his senior recital. The recital program is also of original compositions that
include works for his favorite instrument—the alto sax—like Carnival
Rags as well as more progressive music like a vocal quintet, Hollow Conversations,
which is a collection of sounds, poetry and even a few grunts and grumbles.
Ewen says he has nerves of steel when performing, but those nerves melt under “absolute
terror” as he sits and listens to someone play his music, and is in the
helpless position to correct misplayed or offbeat notes. Once the performance
is over, Ewen can sigh and bask in his accomplishment.
Becoming a composer has been a major decision.
Ewen arrived at Case in 2002 on a full Smith Treuhaft Scholarship in engineering.
He also came as an accomplished saxophone player, who had begun composing music
in the seventh grade and had his works premiered by his saxophone teacher and
composition mentor Lee Patrick in his hometown of Lexington, Ky.
“It was music and engineering. I thought I would let the two play out,
and it appears music won,” said Ewen.
And it is not just playing music. Ewen has spearheaded efforts in Case’s
department of music to design a new composition concentration. The curriculum
is currently under consideration by the department, and if the concentration
is approved, Ewen would be its first graduate.
In addition to his studies for his bachelor of arts in music and a bachelor
of science in engineering, Ewen is the principal saxophonist for three ensembles,
a Case Ambassador for campus guests, a music theory tutor for undergraduate
and graduate students, a saxophone instructor for high school students, president
of Music Undergraduate Student Involvement Committee and a member of Tau Beta
Pi, an engineering honor society, and Golden Key International Honor Society.
His composition skills are also being used in the new virtual game lab at
the Case engineering school as he creates music for video games. As a gift
to the university for its support of his education, he is also designing a
relaxation CD from the cover art to the music for Case’s Educational
Support Services to help students relax.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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