Nathan Crowe

Pre-College
  • Composition
  • Musicianship
Nathan Crowe photo

Contact

Departments

Pre-College

Education

MM Composition, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

BM Composition, St. Olaf College

Ensembles

St. Dominic's Schola Cantorum, chorister (2017-2023)

San Francisco Girls Chorus, Training Chorus, accompanist (2019-2022)

SFCM Mouthscape Choir, chorister & composer (2017-2019)

Q&A

What is your hometown?

Wheaton, Illinois

What is your favorite recording? Why?

One that repeatedly comes to mind is Georg Solti with the Chicago Symphony, performing Mendelssohn's 3rd and 4th Symphonies. Something about this combination is especially energetic and very musically convincing. I also like Vince Guaraldi's discography- he is not usually taken too seriously and I have a deep appreciation for these scrappy, modest stylings. 

Who were your major teachers?

Dan Fackler (French horn), Timothy Mahr and David Conte (composition)

What was a turning point in your career?

"Deciding to study at SFCM and live in San Francisco was a costly decision that I am still affected by. It has led me to further consider music's value, both monetarily and morally. I realized before moving here that I always needed to make music lovingly and of my best quality despite it not providing a primary source of my income.

I don't believe I could ever reconcile the extent that music making might be fully beholden to financial aspirations or created as an industrial product, in either composition or performance. I believe monetary resources are only necessarily to the extent that they balance and sustain our vocational dignity. Anything beyond this denigrates composition and performance of music as the edifying gift that it is. I do believe that value can be heard in certain kinds of music; you can absolutely tell when a piece sounds cheap, half-hearted, or driven by insecurity. "

If you weren't a musician or teacher, what do you think you would be doing now?

I've always been fascinated and terrified by weather- being a weatherman or storm chaser sounds thrilling.

What is your daily practice routine?

I play a different Bach Chorale each day, first thing when I wake up. I'll read through it three times- there's this great app that provides a new one each day. Later when I come to practice, I revisit the chorale, then I'll sight read a hymn or two, and practice liturgical music, then compose a bit at the end if I have the time or energy.

If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?

Bach, Guaraldi and Stravinsky

What is your unrealized project?

I'd love to write a Ballet. I love rhythm!

What do you think makes a concert experience unique?

 Any performance where music is embodied vocationally in earnest. 

Please list your most important collaborations.

Volunteer church musicians; Lukáš Janata; my brother Aaron

What recordings can we hear you on?

I wrote and recorded this music with my brother - released via distrokid 

I am playing French horn on this recording of Elgar's Enigma Variations: St. Olaf Records)

Biography

Nathan Crowe is a composer, educator and musician living in the Bay Area. He studied composition at St. Olaf College, continuing at SFCM after attending the European American Musical Alliance in Paris. His piece "The Bounding Line" received runner up in SFCM's Highsmith orchestra composition competition, and his work "Wind Quintet" was featured in SFCM's Hot Air music festival. He works as Library Assistant at Convent & Stuart Hall, following his experience as Evening & Weekend supervisor for the SFCM Library. He is dedicated to scholarship and musicianship, having the privilege to teach private lessons for varied instruments in addition to composition and musicianship courses both within and outside of SFCM. 

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