Composer Spotlight-Jake Thiede

Get to Know...Jake Thiede

The flute and accompaniment category has traditionally been a very strong category with multiple high quality works and 2017 was no exception. Jake Thiede’s work for flute and computer And everything in-between was awarded the honorable mention in the flute and accompaniment category. Interestingly, this is the second work featured in the “12 Days of Composer-mas” that involved specific calculations in the compositional process (the other is from 2016, Daniel Miller’s Contrails for flute and electronics.) Although, you don’t hear this in either work, both are really engaging and masterful compositions with interesting musical ideas and colors. And everything in-between was commissioned by Krisztina Dér for flute and electronics with lighting. You can view a video of the performance on Jake’s website featuring Krisztina’s masterful performance of the work! We truly enjoyed her beautiful playing. We look forward to hearing performances of And everything in-between by our members very soon, we have a feeling it will soon be joining the standard repertoire of works for flute and electronics.

 
Q&A with Jake…
 
What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
The liberation of sound that the instrument has experienced in the last half century. The flute has so many different timbres...and so many more to be discovered. As a saxophonist, I'm jealous of the flute's wide range of controlled dynamics and how many more octaves it can play than the saxophone.
 
Who is/are your favorite “new music” composer/s and why?
Right now I'm listening to a lot of Eric Lyon, David Lang, and György Ligeti. I think what draws me to their music (and influences my own music) are the varying degrees of clarity with touches of irony.
 
What is/are your favorite “new music” piece/s and why?
As of late, Michael Laurello's "Big Things." His use of different rhythmic systems and ride rhythms encourage me that there is just as much innovation/experimentation waiting to happen in rhythm as harmony or timbre.
 
Describe your musical background and current activities.
I grew up learning Suzuki piano and then played in a metal band through parts of high school and college. This mixture of classical and vernacular styles, cultures, and traditions in my musical upbringing has pushed me to challenge how I understand music and art to this day. I'm still learning...
 
Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about?
I will be performing my piece "While it was raining in the woods" at the 2018 SCI National Conference at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA sometime between March 1st-3rd. If any of my flute playing friends are there, let me know--we can hang out!
 
More About Jake…
Jacob (Jake) Thiede is a composer, saxophonist and current PhD student at the University of North Texas. 
Recently, his music has been championed by the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet, the 15.19 Ensemble, STACKS Duo, and pianist Kris Carlisle. Premieres and performances of Jake’s music have taken place in Italy and the United States, including Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont. Recent honors and festivals include the Bowling Green State University Graduate Music Conference (2017), the National Student Electronic Music Conference (2016 & 2017), the Electric LaTex Conference (2016 & 2017), New Music on the Point (2015), and the HighSCORE Festival (2014). He received his BME at Murray State University and MM in music composition at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has studied with Mike D'Ambrosio, Brian Ciach, and John Fannin at Murray State and with Mark Engebretson, Alejandro Rutty, and Steven Bryant at UNCG. As a saxophonist, he has studied with Scott Erickson and Steven Stusek. 
Current interests are grooves and rhythms in metal music, glitch, and the manipulation of sine tones. Jake studies composition with Kirsten Broberg and Andrew May as well as saxophone with Eric Nestler at the University of North Texas. www.jaketheedee.com/
 
If you liked And everything in between…
 
Forgotten Places, Abandoned Buildings
Instrumentation: pierrot ensemble
Date of Composition: 2016

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