CSUMB’s Wineglass explores democracy with music

By Mark Muckenfuss

It’s fair to say that John Wineglass was driven by external events to create his latest symphonic piece, “Democracy.”

Wineglass, an assistant professor of music at Cal State Monterey Bay and an Emmy-winning composer, said his performances were twice censored in the past year by two American institutions. He declined to go into detail, but the experience led him to veer from his original course in creating a commissioned piece for the Monterey Symphony. 

“We have the 250th anniversary [of the United States] coming up, and I don’t want to be tone ndeaf to world events,” Wineglass said. “This is an homage, a reminder of the delicacy of democracy. I really had to get this off my chest, so here we are.”

The piece, a concerto for clarinet and orchestra, will debut April 18 at the Sunset Center in Carmel. Prior to that, “A Celebration of Professor John Wineglass” is planned for Tuesday, April 14, from 4:30-7 in CSUMB’s Music Hall.

Wineglass will take part in a lecture-demonstration with other faculty members on the topic of democracy. Associate Professor Jenny Kuan and Vivian Waldrup Patterson, director for teaching, learning and assessment, will speak on the topic. Wineglass will provide his perspective, illustrating it by playing elements of his symphonic piece on the piano. 

Although he often presents a brief lecture before his performances, Wineglass said the lecture-demonstration will be a first with its combination of discussion and performance excerpts. He’s hoping it will serve as an important forum as well as a sort of appetizer for the debut of the new work. 

In the notes preceding the score of his new piece, Wineglass says: “I aim to embody the values of open expression, creative collaboration, and the transformative power of civil discourse – all hallmarks both of democratic ideals and the communal experience of music. Ultimately, the title is a statement and a question: What does it mean to hear each other? To share space? To struggle and still seek harmony?”

The three-movement piece begins with a dissonant, chaotic conversation among the various orchestral instruments. The second movement includes a dramatic reharmonization of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and resolves itself in “a moment of stillness as the clarinet introduces a serene melody,” according to the notes. 

The clarinet is the dominant, or rather consistent, voice throughout the concerto, weaving in and out of the mix of sound, sometimes solo, sometimes in conversation with various elements. It is only in the final movement that its discordant journey becomes resolved.

“The work ultimately closes with a stirring anthem of hope,” according to Wineglass’s notes, “suggesting the enduring resilience of democratic ideals, even in moments of profound challenge.”

Even though he felt pushed to dive into the political realm, Wineglass said he’s not targeting any specific faction with the piece.

“It’s not bashing on anyone particularly,” he said. “It’s intended to honor and look at democracy in a sort of re-light and an individual voice. The arts in a democratic society are here to voice these things.”

Wineglass’s compositions have been played by orchestras around the world. He is currently the artist in residence for the Monterey Symphony, an organization he has worked with frequently over the years, and which has impacted his art. 

“Whether I’m exploring themes of environmental stewardship, social justice or personal reflection,” Wineglass says in his score notes, “I often write with the Monterey Symphony’s sound and ethos in mind … [It] has shaped my voice as a composer committed to storytelling, place, and community,”