Maine Motif Issue 2, Vol. II (Winter, 2018) | Page 34

Rowell’s teaching philosophy was also strongly influenced by Bruno Walter’s book “Of
Music and Music Making.” The author professed that “he who is only a musician is half
a musician.”
“I never stop thinking about this statement, for it serves as a wonderful reminder of the
importance of living a full, rich and balanced life. After all, music is life...and what we
bring to our music making is NOT something separate from life. Our lives are not only a
series of miracles but also a work of art.”
He said his experiences with composers Karel Husa, Michael Colgrass, Dana Wilson,
John Corigliano, Jack Gallagher and David Maslanka were each in their own way life
changing and profound.
“To stand in the presence of the composer, in front of my ensemble was a wonderful
lesson in creativity. Many a rehearsal and recording session, David Maslanka and I
conversed, deliberated and searched together for the inner musical truth while revealing
our ‘vulnerability’ before the eyes and ears of our students, inviting them into the
creative process.”
Following the release of Rowell’s first CD, “The Wind Music of David
Maslanka,” (1996), the composer said in a letter to Rowell, “I am proud of you and
what you have accomplished. You have dared to put your soul into this work -- a thing
which is invariably painful to do.” He said collaborations with David Maslanka made
him a better teacher while his music challenged every aspect of his musical being.
“I soon learned to trust the spontaneity of my instincts knowing that compromise would
violate artistic integrity.”
In 1984 Rowell became the Music Director/Conductor of the South Shore Conservatory
Summer Wind Ensemble in Hingham, MA, thus the beginning of a marvelous 27 year
association. He praises James Simpson, Jr., the Conservatory’s President, for his
administrative prowess, providing an environment, facilities and faculty of the highest
order. Rowell calls Simpson “a man of great vision. Anything I could dream, Jim made
possible!” Among the highlights of Rowell’s tenure at the Conservatory, was the
Summer Youth Wind Ensemble’s commission and premiere of Davids Maslanka’s
“Golden Light”, a celebration piece, in August 1993, commemorating the 20th year of
the Conservatory.
Perhaps Rowell’s crowning achievement in his celebrated career was the founding of
the Massachusetts Wind Orchestra in the summer of 1991. This adult wind band was
created to provide its members with quality experiences while contributing to the
cultural life of our society. The MWO is dedicated to the performance of literature of
high artistic merit. Membership, by invitation, attracted the interest of musician
educators, from Washington, DC to Bangor, Maine, many of whom studied at
America’s leading colleges, universities, and conservatories. The wind orchestra
performed literature ranging from Bach to Schwantner, Grainger to Stravinsky, and
Holst to Husa, and Sousa to Zappa.