Reflective Questions - February 2024 

By Jasmine Galante & Art Grove Staff | 1/31/24

As a composer, love and passion play a huge role in my artistic practice. When I write, I’m often writing for a specific performer, so it can be a process of love to build a piece that is made for them – playing to their strengths as a musician and utilizing different techniques they want to explore in the piece. Composing definitely inspires, for me, connection between someone else’s artistic passions and my own. Being able to find the space where my collaborator and my musical aesthetics and ideas align keeps me passionate about the music I’m writing.

Still, this is an interesting question to reflect on, as it doesn’t always feel this way. For me, no other form of art-making has been as intertwined with my mental state as composing has. Having to consistently creatively produce can become taxing, so taking care of and maintaining my mind in the same way you manage instrument practice to prevent injury has been a form of self-love. Creating a sustainable artistic practice is something I’m working towards, and I’ve found that allowing myself breaks (both short and long) from my art-making gives me the space to then rediscover my love and reignite my passion for the things I’m working on.

My love and passion for art have been the driving force behind my professional pursuits. It sounds strange, but wading through the job market has really helped clarify to me what my passions are, and reinforced to me that my love is really in new contemporary classical music and (music) theater. Feeling what opportunities excite me, and seeing what those positions have in common, have really helped me determine what I want my artistic life to look like post-grad.