Two music majors complete joint recital to celebrate their Independent Study compositions

Gracelyn Jack ’25 and  Ethan Yoder ’25, both music composition majors from The College of Wooster, performed a joint recital to feature their Independent Study projects and other compositions. The pair pulled together nearly 60 student musicians to perform alongside them in Gault Recital Hall, including both music majors and non-music majors from the College.

For music composition majors, the I.S. requirement includes a composition or portfolio of compositions. Jack composed a five-movement operetta, “Merfall,” while Yoder composed “Terra Prisma,” his six-movement orchestral piece. Both were advised by Dylan Findley, assistant professor of music, music theory, and composition. Each student conducted their numbers at the recital, and the program also included two additional Yoder compositions: “Dancing Through Pavement Pools” for violin and piano, and “Hush” conducted by classmate Paul Zito, for choir.

According to Jack, the pair made a handshake agreement sophomore year to produce a composition recital as seniors. “The recital isn’t even required; we did that for fun!” said Yoder. “There are few better feelings or experiences than sharing a stage with a dear friend.” In addition to conducting their own pieces, both students performed in each other’s ensembles—Jack as a vocalist and instrumentalist in two of Yoder’s pieces and Yoder as an instrumentalist in Jack’s operetta.

While working front of house at the Ohio Light Opera in summer 2024, Jack was struck by the unique style of lyric theater and wanted to emulate it in her I.S. She knew she wanted to incorporate two different styles of composition (post tonal and sea shanty) that shaped the development of her musical voice.

“I.S. taught me that I can do more than I think I can,” said Jack. She explained that “Merfall” depicts two worlds colliding and intertwining: a disillusioned deep-sea fisherman and his ragtag shanty band encounter a merman on the brink of death, and all of their lives are changed forever. “If you had told me a year ago that I’d not only be writing an operetta, but organizing rehearsals, running rehearsals, and conducting my own music, I would not have believed you.”

The process of coordinating thirteen people’s schedules in the spring semester to find a common time to rehearse was a challenge for Jack, as was overcoming self-doubt and being her own worst critic during the writing process. She returned to working at the Ohio Light Opera again the summer after graduation and will pursue a diploma in band instrument repair from Minnesota State College Southeast.

Ethan Yoder ’25 rehearses his piece, “Terra Prisma” with a recruited ensemble of classmates that included both music majors and non-music majors. Photo: Shannon Dunning

Yoder was most excited about the sheer scope of his I.S. “I came to Wooster knowing that I wanted to pursue composition, and even still, I never could have imagined writing a piece of this scale,” he said. “Knowing that I can and have done something of this size has gone a long way in keeping me inspired and focused on future projects.”

His almost 40-minute long piece “Terra Prisma” is Latin for “Earth Prism” so each movement is based on a color of the rainbow. The composition focuses on two different aspects of each color: its associations with the natural world and its associations with human emotion. The third movement, “Heliotropism,” is the yellow movement as it refers to the process by which sunflowers follow the sun to receive the most light. “Yellow is associated with happiness and jubilation, so much of the movement is upbeat, major, and energetic,” he explained. Yoder recruited 37 classmates starting in early October to perform the first three movements at the recital.

On top of writer’s block and coordinating schedules, Yoder cited the rehearsal process as a challenge. “I’d never conducted an ensemble of this size, so I had no idea what I was in for,” said Yoder. “The first rehearsal or two weren’t excellent, but by the end I felt like I had a much better grasp on things.” His next step after graduation will be at Illinois State University to pursue a master of music composition degree.

Featured image: Music composition majors Ethan Yoder ’25 and Gracelyn Jack ’25 completed a joint recital featuring their Independent Study compositions. Photo provided by the subjects.

Posted in Independent Study on June 23, 2025.