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Music as a force for good: 5 questions with “Edmonia” conductor Julius Williams
Williams shares why he wanted to work on “Edmonia”, explains his role as conductor, and reveals his favorite part of the score.
When audiences come to Interlochen’s Corson auditorium for the world premiere of Edmonia, they’ll witness a legend in action. The opera will be conducted by Julius Williams, a composer, conductor, and professor at Berklee College of Music. Williams is the former president of the Conductors Guild, and has been selected as one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of the Year. He has performed and recorded extensively around the world. Here, Williams shares his passion for telling Edmonia Lewis’s story and offers insights into the conductor’s role.
What drew you to get involved with Edmonia?
What drew me in was the story itself. Edmonia is about a woman who strove and had a wonderful career and went through tribulations. It was a story that I’d never heard before and I was never taught. Edmonia Lewis represents so many Black people, especially Black women, who were driven to make a career within a society that was very racist and had limited ideas about who they were and what they could do. She reflects African American women who fought and struggled and paved the way. That's what we need with these types of pieces. We’re not just honoring one person; we’re honoring many people who have done the same thing and changed the course of history.
Edmonia Lewis represents so many Black people, especially Black women, who were driven to make a career within a society that was very racist and had limited ideas about who they were and what they could do.
What is your role as the conductor in interpreting the opera’s music?
I've conducted many different operas, and it's not just about the piece—it’s who's performing the piece. I have to tailor it to who's performing it, and that’s what makes it interesting. With Edmonia, I’m tailoring it to the Arts Academy students and helping them understand the different nuances of the music. Music is a strange thing. You can write it down, and the sheet music will tell you what the notes are and what the rhythm is, but it doesn't always tell you how to play it, how to perform it, or what style it is. So my job is to take it and shape it stylistically the way the composer wanted.
What’s your favorite part of the score?
There's one piece I really like called “Yes”. The use of the word “yes”, going from one style of music into another, is quite interesting. The beginning of the piece is written as a soul ballad, but then it transitions into a gospel piece.
What is the role of music in communicating ideas, and why is it so powerful?
Music is part of our world, and it’s a really reflective kind of communicator that people can identify with—sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad way. For instance, Hitler used pieces by Beethoven and Wagner as propaganda during World War II. I was watching some film once, and I heard the Nazis playing Beethoven, but it was so angry. You could hear their anger from the sound, and it was frightening. On the other hand, when Leonard Bernstein conducted near the Berlin Wall in 1989, he did the same piece: Beethoven's “Ode to Joy”. But it felt like a completely different piece from the one I’d heard in the German newsreel. So that tells you that the way you perform music, and the force behind it, can send different messages. Music is good, and it can spread good things, but it also can be evil, too. It all depends on who's presenting it, and how they’re presenting it.
What do you hope your audience gets out of the music in Edmonia?
I would hope that they listen to the music and how we reflect the different styles that Dr. Banfield has put into it. And I hope they feel the music—just as they feel the power of Edmonia’s story and the courage she represents. I want them to come out with the music making sense, and knowing who Edmonia Lewis was. If we can do those two things at once, that would be important.
Tickets are still available for Edmonia, premiering at Interlochen May 3-5. Purchase here.