Historically, classical composers of color have not received the same recognition as their white peers. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and founder of the Composer’s Diversity Collective, Michael Abels — best known for writing the scores to “Get Out,” “Us” and “Nope” — believes times may be changing.
“There are more composers (of color) working today who are able to have careers than we saw a generation ago,” Abels said. “What we don’t know is whether that’s a sea change or merely a fad, and it’s hard to know which one you’re in when you’re in the middle of it.”
The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra will perform selections from the “Nope” film suite and Abels’ orchestral piece “Global Warming” at a concert called “Convergence” on Thursday, Oct. 10, in Capitol Theater. The WCO will also perform pieces by acclaimed composers of color Valerie Coleman, Andre Myers and Patrice Rushen.
“Convergence” is the second in a five-year-long concert series titled “Musical Landscapes in Color,” led by WCO composer-in-residence William Banfield. The project aims to promote works by living composers of color, to encourage greater diversity within the classical music sphere.
It began with last year’s “Harmony in Black,” and in all the WCO is set to perform five concerts, each culminating in the release of an album.
From his home in Los Angeles, Abels recently spoke with the Cap Times about what Madison will hear at “Convergence.” This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Can you tell me a bit about your work appearing in “Convergence?”
I’ll start with “Global Warming,” which was the first published concert work of mine. It was written in 1990 when the Berlin Wall had just come down, and it seemed like countries were getting along more than they ever had in my lifetime.
I was really interested in what was called “world music” — which really means anything that’s not Western music — and how the folk music of many different cultures have similarities you wouldn’t think of.
I thought the term “global warming” was a really great pun for the warming of cultures, and that term gave me a chance to put different types of folk music together in ways that illustrate their similarities. The piece starts with a depiction of a vast desert, then gives way to this kind of joyful music that blends the folk music of different cultures.
But I didn’t want it to seem like I was dismissing real global warming, so it ends in a way that’s much more somber and severe. This is meant to kind of ask, “What kind of global warming do we want to have in our world?” It’s our choice.
“Nope” is a film that plays with genre. It tells a story about a “bad miracle,” meaning something that is awe inspiring but might kill you if you stop to look at it. The film plays with that dichotomy in a lot of ways, some of which are terrifying and some of which are really funny. It manages to be both a heartfelt brother-sister story, but also a kind of horror movie and a Western action-adventure.
It’s important that the music connects those genres as much as the production design, so in the “Nope” suite, you’ll hear some music that sounds very much like a Western, and then you’ll hear a very heart-centered brother-sister theme. You’ll also hear some really exciting music that’s part of an unforgettable chase, which was originally written as part of a concert piece that I wrote over 10 years before the film. That was the piece of music that Jordan Peele heard on YouTube that made him want to call me to score “Get Out.”
What did you find most challenging about composing the score to “Nope?”
The most important thing about film music is that it tells the story, so you have to always keep focused on that goal. It sounds simple, but it’s surprising how many different opinions people can have about what a character is feeling in a scene, and that’s everything to how you tell the story. The challenge comes in understanding how to execute that — to write music that both works as music and sets the audience on the journey that the filmmaker intends.
You’re also one member of a giant team that relies on every other moving part, and you don’t want to be the weak link in the chain, right? The music writing part is really fun, but you have to make sure you do that within the framework of this collaborative project.
In the context of a project aiming to elevate composers of color, do you see there being any significance to these specific pieces being performed?
The beauty is that it’s open to your interpretation. I often tell audiences that if you hear a certain story or a certain influence in a piece of music, then that influence is there. If something means something to you, that’s valid. To me, “Convergence” is a coming together — in what ways are we coming together?
For one, we’re physically coming together. Most of the time, us living composers are in the dark caves of our studios. It’s really nice coming out of your cave to connect with other composers and audiences.
For me, this is also the first time that a concert piece and a media piece of mine are on one program, and that’s a clear convergence. “Nope” is a convergence of genres. … To take it to another level, besides “Nope” and “Global Warming” — which are musically very different works in themselves — I think you’ll find the other pieces on the program are about as diverse as they could be even though the composers are all people of color, which we have in common.
Are there any other thoughts on “Convergence” you’d like to share?
We talk about diversity and the importance of inclusion and all these important themes, but what we don’t mention is that the concert’’s actually going to be a lot of fun. It’s a lot of really engaging, wonderful music. It’s nice to know that it’s accomplishing all of these things that could benefit society, but you are totally allowed to just sit back and enjoy it.