Jesse Edwards Interview Transcript

-Were you a musician first? Do you play any instrument?

Jesse plays percussion, piano, guitar, ukelele, and sings. He also greatly enjoys bluegrass and folk music.

-Do you have a favorite time period?

Jesse’s favorite time period in musical history is the romantic era. His compositional inspirations are Chopin, Beethoven, Schumann, and Rachmaninov. He said he is inspired most by early solo piano pieces by Schumann, such as Romance in F# Major. Another favorite piece of his is Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima by Penderecki. He said this piece always moves him to tears and is one of the greatest pieces of music he has ever listened to.

-Was there a defining moment in your life when you knew you wanted to pursue music as a career?

Jesse knew he wanted to pursue musical composition as a career when he was asked to compose pieces for his school band and theatre. These were moments in his life that helped him realize that music was more than just a passion; it was his life. He felt that by creating music, he was able to bring joy and happiness to a wide range of people through the music he composed.

-What has surprised you the most about composing?

From the beginning, Jesse knew he wanted to go into film musical composition. His passion for film scores started in middle school and followed him up to freshman year of college. His life took a turn though, when he attended a film composition workshop at New York University. There, he felt a disconnect from the composers and their work, as if the composer is left out of the process since they write on command for a certain job. He realized that it was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. This change was what surprised him the most in his musical career thus far.

-Who do you compose for, meaning yourself, the musician, the audience, or a combination of the three?

Jesse believes that writing for the enjoyment for himself, the musician, and the audience are all equally important. He does not believe in composing for shock value, but composing for something that speaks deeper inside the human mind for comfort. He believes music should be engaging for all three parties involved, and if one party is disinterested in the piece and took nothing away from the experience, he has failed in his job as a composer.