St. Paul resident Seamus Hubbard Flynn, 18, grew up in a musical household and began plunking out miniature “compositions” on the piano from a very early age. He is now a high school senior at Cyber Village Academy, and takes most of his classes through post-secondary enrollment at the University of Minnesota and Concordia University St. Paul. He has studied composition with Abbie Betinis at Concordia since 2015. He also participates in the Schubert Club Composer Mentorship Program, where he receives instruction from Dr. Edie Hill, and in NextNotes Lab, a high school student-run composer ensemble affiliated with the American Composers Forum. When he isn't composing or playing the piano, Seamus enjoys riding his bicycle and looking at atlases (usually not at the same time).
This year, Seamus was chosen as the youth winner of Zeitgeist's 22nd annual Eric Stokes Song Contest. Named in memory of late composer Eric Stokes, the contest is designed to encourage and celebrate amateur composers throughout the Twin Cities. Seamus' winning composition, Thukdam, will be performed by Zeitgeist at their annual Playing it Close to Home concert Feb. 17-18 at Studio Z.
The word “thukdam” refers to a rare occurrence in which the body of a Tibetan Buddhist monk does not decay for several weeks after death, but remains clean and present as if the monk were alive. As a Buddhist practitioner (albeit not in the Tibetan lineage), Seamus was fascinated by this concept, and used it to create this piece for clarinet, vibraphone and piano.
The piece follows a structure of “disintegrating loops.” The frenzied perpetual motion introduced near the beginning of the piece gradually returns more and more often to a source of stillness, much like the mind during a long meditation period. Seamus experimented with various methods of sustain on the piano, such as placing a guitar e-bow on a piano string, and holding down specific notes without making sound in order to excite harmonics. In the end, the piece reaches a state of unity in which motives from throughout the piece work in harmony, expressing the interconnection of all things, and a state of oneness after death.
The word “thukdam” refers to a rare occurrence in which the body of a Tibetan Buddhist monk does not decay for several weeks after death, but remains clean and present as if the monk were alive. As a Buddhist practitioner (albeit not in the Tibetan lineage), Seamus was fascinated by this concept, and used it to create this piece for clarinet, vibraphone and piano.
The piece follows a structure of “disintegrating loops.” The frenzied perpetual motion introduced near the beginning of the piece gradually returns more and more often to a source of stillness, much like the mind during a long meditation period. Seamus experimented with various methods of sustain on the piano, such as placing a guitar e-bow on a piano string, and holding down specific notes without making sound in order to excite harmonics. In the end, the piece reaches a state of unity in which motives from throughout the piece work in harmony, expressing the interconnection of all things, and a state of oneness after death.
Playing it Close to Home
Feb. 17-18, 7:30 p.m.
Studio Z: 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul
$15 / $10 students & seniors
Tickets/Info
With winning songs from the Eric Stokes Song Contest plus music by local composer Mary Ellen Childs, Zeitgeist's annual Playing it Close to Home concert celebrates the wealth of musical creativity found right here in our own backyard.
The program includes music by Eric Stokes Song Contest winners Michael Maiorana, Katy Vernon, and Seamus Hubbard Flynn, the world premiere of a new work composed by Mary Ellen Childs for Zeitgeist, plus several other works from Childs’ catalog, including excerpts from her opera Propeller, “visual percussion” pieces, and music for prepared piano. The concert will conclude with a multi-sensory sound installation created by Childs that invites audience members to explore three rooms filled with scents and music designed to pair with each aroma.
Studio Z: 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul
$15 / $10 students & seniors
Tickets/Info
With winning songs from the Eric Stokes Song Contest plus music by local composer Mary Ellen Childs, Zeitgeist's annual Playing it Close to Home concert celebrates the wealth of musical creativity found right here in our own backyard.
The program includes music by Eric Stokes Song Contest winners Michael Maiorana, Katy Vernon, and Seamus Hubbard Flynn, the world premiere of a new work composed by Mary Ellen Childs for Zeitgeist, plus several other works from Childs’ catalog, including excerpts from her opera Propeller, “visual percussion” pieces, and music for prepared piano. The concert will conclude with a multi-sensory sound installation created by Childs that invites audience members to explore three rooms filled with scents and music designed to pair with each aroma.
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