As part of this year’s UNSW Orchestra concert, we are proud to feature the premiere of Potboiler, a new composition by Stephen McCarthy, a sixth-year medical student at UNSW. Balancing his medical studies with his passion for music, Stephen’s journey into composition reflects a deep love for creativity and musical experimentation.
Ahead of the concert, we had the chance to sit down with Stephen to discuss his background in composition, his creative process, and what it feels like to have his music brought to life by a full orchestra.
1. Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your background in composition?
My name is Stephen, and I'm a sixth-year medical student here at UNSW. For a long time now I've been playing music (throughout school and university), and I started seriously composing - or attempting to compose! - during high school. I auditioned for the university concerto competition on some pieces I had written myself (I'm a much worse performer than composer) and Steven Hillinger was very supportive, kindly offering me this opportunity to write a short piece for the Orchestra.
2. What inspired you to write this piece, and can you walk us through the creative process behind it?
The original 'inspiration' (if you can call it that) was a high school homework task ... so I was forced to come up with something! It was a short piece for percussion, and not being a percussionist, I elected to write a piece for tuned percussion - two marimbas from memory. A lot of the material in 'Potboiler' was written in that minute-and-a-half sniglet seven years ago, so when this opportunity arose it had all been stewing in my head for some time; it just became a matter of putting that all down and stretching it out into what is essentially a pretty traditional overture, modern style aside.
3. Were there any specific themes or ideas you wanted to explore in your composition?
This being my first work to be performed, I never expected it to be perfectly formed (or even well-formed) so I decided, rather than trying to write a good piece and fail, to embrace any 'badness' that might come from my inexperience. So a lot of this piece - the sometimes strange orchestration choices, the structural weirdness, the chopping and changing between material - all plays into the idea of 'potboilers': novels (and sometimes other media) written imperfectly, with holes in them, for some simple entertainment. At times I have tried to take this to the extreme, and there are one or two obviously crude - and hopefully humorous, for the orchestra and audience - moments sprinkled throughout ... but hopefully the piece still works and satisfies.
4. How did you approach writing for orchestra? Were there any challenges in orchestrating your ideas?
It was certainly a challenge, and from the moment Eleasha at MPU let me know that everything was going ahead, there was a lot of binge-reading Samuel Adler's The Study of Orchestration! But that could not make the piece write itself, so at some point earlier this year I just decided to write the thing and get it all out on paper. Balancing foreground, middle ground and background was a major challenge - especially in the lead-up to and aftermath of climaxes - but hopefully everything comes out clearly in the performance!
5. What does it feel like to know your music will be brought to life by a full orchestra?
This is honestly such a wonderful opportunity, and it's invaluable for a relatively inexperienced composer like myself to hear an orchestra not only perform my piece, but also work through it right from the first sight-read. Considering that orchestras generally only perform three or maybe four pieces on a programme, and the UNSW Orchestra only plays three concerts per year, to devote one slot to a first-time student's composition could be seen as a bit of a risk. So I'm especially grateful to Steve and the MPU for letting me run with this - and of course, the orchestra for buying into it all as well!
6. What advice would you give to other aspiring composers who hope to have their work performed?
Write - unfortunately, there are no two ways about it; one can play an instrument, or read composition books, or daydream about composing all one likes. However, without actually putting pen to paper (literally or electronically), it is very difficult to progress and develop as a composer. And eventually, you will summon up the courage to show someone your work, who will hopefully critique it thoughtfully, and you can go away, and improve, and show them and someone else your next work ... and hopefully, that cycle will one day lead to a performance!
We can't wait to hear Potboiler come to life in its premiere performance, at the UNSW Orchestra Concert: Resurgence, on 15 November 2024, Sir John Clancy Auditorium. Don’t miss out!
