'Populist without being pop'

"Ola Gjeilo is one of the hottest names in vocal music these days," says Stephen Caldwell, director of choral activities at the University of Arkansas. "Almost every student in a high school or collegiate choir has sung his music.

"It has populist appeal, without being pop. It has classical appeal without being classical," Caldwell enthuses. "That type of broad appeal makes him an ideal choice for a university as diverse as ours."

Gjeilo -- pronounced YAY-lo -- was born in Norway in 1978 and moved to the United States in 2001 to begin his composition studies at the Juilliard School in New York City.

"I started playing the piano when I was very little, earlier than I can remember, and I never actually thought of anything else than becoming a composer and pianist," Gjeilo says. "It was just something I had to do; it never felt like a choice. So being a freelance composer has been my full-time job since graduating college, and I love it."

Gjeilo says his inspiration "varies a lot, but generally, the inspiration comes out from nothing and is completely internal. I usually sit down at a piano or keyboard and start improvising ideas, which I then record and listen back to, before choosing which idea(s) I want to keep, and then I start developing it."

Gjeilo adds, however, that "a general inspiration for me is contemporary film scores. I think some of the greatest composers these days work in Hollywood and are writing some of the best music out there. Guys like John Williams, of course, and Thomas Newman, Howard Shore, Dario Marianelli, etc."

Critics have pointed to that element in his work.

"He describes a number of his pieces as cinematically inspired. I agree," writes Bruce Browne for Oregon Artswatch. "The repeated harmonic structures, forms and textures heard at last Saturday night's concert ... work to advantage in a cinematic score that needs to carry an entire film. John Williams, John Barry, Hans Zimmer -- film score icons who have treated us for decades to tremendous background, mood-setting scores like E.T., Bond, Angels and Demons -- come to mind."

But Browne says the real treat is watching Gjeilo play.

"Those of us who enjoy live performance should be grateful for the opportunity to witness the composer in performance. Improvisation is one of Gjeilo's strongest tools as a composer and performer. Several of these pieces featured his extraordinary talents at the piano ... accenting [his ability] to play with imagination and beauty."

It hasn't been easy to get Gjeilo to the University of Arkansas, although he and Caldwell have known each other for a while.

"We are using grant funding from the McIlroy Family Visiting Professorship, the UA Artists and Concerts Committee, the UA department of music and the Women's Giving Circle to bring him to campus," Caldwell says. "We've been trying for a few years, and only this year have been able to make the arrangements; he is that much in demand!"

While Gjeilo is at the UA, the Schola Cantorum will present a concert entirely of his works and the Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony will also perform his music, Caldwell says, calling his visit "an event of great significance."

Gjeilo, who will also present a solo performance, says he comes to the UA with one simple goal.

"If I can be of inspiration in any sort of way, that's all that matters to me!"

Becca Martin-Brown can be reached by email at [email protected].

NAN Profiles on 11/08/2015