Composition student hears her 'Les Ballons' performed

Junior Monica Gil first started composing music in middle school and hasn't stopped. This year she's had the chance to hear one of her compositions performed by Augustana's Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble.

The piece, "Les Ballons" (The Balloons) was inspired by an Oscar Wilde poem of the same name.

"I used Wilde's text as lyrics for the vocal lines," she said. "I'm glad I got to set such a beautiful poem to music!"

Gil, who is from Vernon Hills, Ill., is majoring in music education and composition. She plays the clarinet and is a member of the Augustana Symphonic Band. So she's had many opportunities for her work to be performed.

She has composed several pieces while at Augustana, some for classes.  "I am always writing outside of class, for fun and in collaborations with other musicians and artists," she said.

"I have always been drawn to composition, and the more I have learned about music theory, music history, and music analysis, the more motivated I have been to try out new methods in my work and to push myself."

She said that every class she's taken (including non-music courses) has added something to her experience as a composer. "Instrumental Methods" classes in various instruments, required for music education majors, have been especially helpful.

"Having the opportunity to try out every instrument and to really experience what the challenges and the assets of each one are has taught me so much about how I should compose for each of them," she said.

Listening to what other student and faculty composers are producing is part of her inspiration. "I am blown away by their originality and their musicality,” she said.

Gil soon will begin work on a children's opera for her senior recital next year.

Augustana's composition program is directed by Dr. Jacob Bancks, who celebrated five years at Augustana last December. Several of his works have been commissioned and performed by the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and broadcast on WVIK public radio.