The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
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Brian's song
Concert premieres work composed by Chelsea musician
By Edward Freundl, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 10, 2007
It's not often a high school band can brag about a direct connection to the composer of the music it plays.
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But that's exactly the case with Chelsea High School's windy symphony and local resident Brian Brill.
Brill has written "The Clocktower Suite," which will be among many works on the playbill for a free concert set for 7:30 p.m. May 14.
"The opportunity of having a composer create a work for our own band is very unique," said CHS Director of Bands Rick Catherman.
"Having Mr. Brill in our community has made it even more unique in that he has been able to visit our classroom and share his creative as well as design processes with our students as an 'artist in residence.'"
Brill has another good reason to compose for the high school band: his daughter Margy, a trumpet player, is a senior this year.
"I spoke to him three or four years ago about doing a band piece, and mentioned it to him a couple times a year," Catherman said.
"Last year he finally agreed; we sketched out some ideas and talked about the creative ideas he had," he added. "He really tailored the piece to our group, as far as how high and how low they could play."
During a rehearsal last week, Margy Brill described what it was like to perform her father's music.
"It's been really nice growing up in that atmosphere," she said. "When he was writing, he'd ask me, 'Does this sound OK?' I think he likes the idea."
Margy said the band began rehearsing the four movements of "The Clocktower Suite" as her father completed it.
"We got the music at different times as he would finish it," she said. "We got the first movement right before spring break in March, and just got the fourth movement a couple of weeks ago."
Brill's music is not alone on the program, however. A couple of works by renowned composer John Moss will be featured, including "Brookfield Fair," which Moss wrote in tribute to Brian Brill's father, himself a longtime band director.
When a composer writes music for a specific orchestra or event, it usually involves a commission, or direct payment.
"I asked him to do this as if it was a commission, but he wouldn't take any financial remuneration from us," Catherman said. "He said, 'No, I'd really just like to do this for the band program.'"
Brill has been making a living as a professional musician and composer for more than 25 years.
He graduated from Western Michigan University in 1981, followed by six years of playing throughout the Midwest in a jazz quartet and as a studio musician and music composer/arranger.
Since 1989 Brill has written and arranged music for documentaries and advertising jingles.
"We really enjoy the quality of life in Chelsea," he said. "It has been a great place for my daughter to grow up."
Technology has allowed him to succeed in a traditionally East Coast- or West Coast-based career while maintaining a home and raising a family here in Chelsea.
"It's easier than you might think, especially with the advent of high-speed Internet," Brill said.
"During the 1990s I commuted a lot to Detroit and Chicago, but most of my work now is done from my home studio," he said. "Just today (Saturday) I sent music for two TV commercials to a studio in New York via the Internet."
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