Meet Composer Mary Ellen Loose

Last season, CES commissioned a piece called Celestial Symphony from local composer Mary Ellen Loose. It was so well-received, we will reprise that performance in our holiday concert this year! Ms. Loose was kind enough to sit down with us and answer some of our questions.

When you sit down to write music, what usually comes to you first: a melody, a harmonic idea, an image, or something else entirely?

Every song begins differently. My first song (a vocal duet when I was in my 20’s) was inspired by a conversation with a friend. I was so impressed with what we discussed that I had to write a song about it. People loved the song and it was performed many times. It was eventually published. The introduction was the first thing I wrote for that piece.

When we lived in Southern California in my mid-30’s, we had a fantastic view from our apartment window of the large park across the street. I was up early one morning, opened the curtains and noticed how peaceful and beautiful the park looked with the sun coming up and a light fog covering the ground. That inspired me to write Peaceful Morning, a solo piano piece that is a favorite to this day. 

When I wrote Celestial Symphony, I started with the introduction. I spent hours trying to find just the right notes and harmonies that immediately made the listener imagine the vastness of space.

Which composers, traditions, or even non-musical influences (literature, visual art, nature) shape your work most strongly, and how do they show up in your music?

I have been drawn to classical composers who write expressive, melodic harmonies. Music that makes me feel something when I listen to it. I love the works of Debussy and Ravel! Brahms’ approached composing in a very spiritual way and I have been influenced by many of his piano works. His Requiem had a deep impact on me as a teenager.

Composers who write choral works as well as film scores have had a tremendous influence on my writing. These include Morten Lauridsen, Ola Gjeilo, Dr. J. Edmund Hughes, Lex de Azevedo, Mack Wilberg, Dan Forrest, Arvo Part, John Rutter, Kim Andre Arnesen, Stephen Paulus, John Williams, Marvin Hamlisch, and John Barry.

What do you hope people feel when they hear your music performed, especially by a choir like Carolyn Enyon Singers?

If the song is supposed to inspire goodness and the desire to be better, I hope they will feel that in their hearts from the performance. If my song is meant to bring peace and comfort, I hope people will feel that. I try to make sure the notes I write convey the emotions I want (and hope) people will feel. 

Every creative person has challenges. What is the hardest part of composing for you, and how do you get through it?

Composing is often hard work. To have an idea that I “hear” in my head and be able to find the exact notes and rhythms to create that takes a lot of mental effort. I have worked and reworked sections of a piece until I’ve gotten it just right. It is so gratifying when I feel I have written a passage exactly like I hear it in my mind. 

What excites you most about where your music is headed?

I composed, arranged and published a lot of music starting in my twenties. That continued for decades. When I approached my late sixties, however, things seemed to slow down. I wondered if I would do much writing in the future. Then the Carolyn Eynon Singers commissioned me to write a piece for them a year ago. I was so excited! That experience rekindled my musical desire to write and I am looking forward to writing more in the years ahead. As they say, age is only a number! Maybe my best music is just waiting to be written! 

Do you remember the first time you sang in (or heard) a choir, and what that experience was like for you?

I was very fortunate to grow up in a musical family. For years, my father led our church choir and my mother played the piano. From an early age, my two younger sisters and I sang in our church choir. I loved choirs then and I love them now! Of all the musical things I do, playing for a choir brings me the greatest joy!

What’s something you love to do that is not music related and might surprise people?

For the last thirty years, I have been running and lifting weights. A fun thing I love to do is help run a worldwide Facebook fan page for Robert Redford.

Is there a website or social media link where people can contact you?

I no longer have a website ... but maybe it is time to get that going again.

The choral pieces I’ve co-written with Dr. J. Edmund Hughes can be found at Santa Barbara Music Publishing. I am also the founder and administrator for the Facebook group “Collaborative Pianists of Arizona,” a place where I help people find a pianist for their choir, event, etc.