On December 5, the eighth grade band at Hilton’s Merton Williams Middle School had the rare opportunity to participate in a master class with Composer Steve Danyew. Mr. Danyew worked with the students on his composition River Town Jubilee in preparation for the band’s winter concert.
“I was first exposed to Mr. Danyew’s music in the summer of 2018 when I was performing his piece Into the Silent Land,” said Kevin Weber, music teacher and band director. “This piece is one of the most powerful and emotional performances I have been a part of in my music career.”
Danyew grew up in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and attended Sandy Hook Elementary School. “I believe that music is one way we can remember the victims of the tragedy, their families, and victims of similar tragedies,” said Danyew. “Into the Silent Land was the hardest piece I have written, but I hope that the music allows listeners to pause and remember these victims, and come together to prevent this kind of violence in the future.”
Into the Silent Land was named the winner of the 2019 Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize and has been hailed as “startlingly beautiful” and “undeniably well crafted and communicative” by the Miami Herald.
In addition to composing, Danyew is a passionate educator at the Eastman School of Music’s Institute for Music Leadership, who teaches courses focused on helping young musicians craft their own creative careers.
The Merton Williams Instrumental Winter Concert is Wednesday, December 18 at 7 p.m. in the Hilton High School auditorium.
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