Despite his background in astrophysics former professor Martin Gaskell has always had a passion for music. This weekend the Santa Cruz Symphony will be opening their first concert of the season with one of Gaskell’s pieces.
The Philharmonia Fantastique, happening this weekend on September 21st and 22nd, is an annual concert marking the change into fall. Gaskell’s music will be joined by compositions by Johannes Brahms, and Grammy award-winner Mason Bates.
Gaskell has been interested in music since he was a small child learning to play the piano. He composed his first piece at 13 years old and hasn’t stopped since. He balanced his passion for performance with an equal love for science, but when he went to college he had to choose one path. “I felt that I wasn't good enough to make a career in music,” he says. “And I felt that if I was going to get that really high level, I'd have to do so much practicing, I wouldn't like it anymore. So I chose the easier option of going into astronomy, and I've had a long, happy career in astrophysics.”
After receiving his Ph.D. from UC Santa Cruz, Gaskell stuck around to teach. While he primarily lectured in astronomy and astrophysics, he still made time for music. One of his classes focused on the physics and psychophysics of music, which Gaskell taught cross-departmentally in the physics and music departments.
Gaskell originally wrote his piece for the upcoming concert, Ceremonial Music, around 20 years ago for a friend’s wedding. “I put a recording of the song up on YouTube, and I started getting requests from other people who wanted it at their weddings,” says Gaskell. “I've made something approaching 10 different arrangements of the piece now for different ensembles, and it's been played over 100 times.” The song was also a semi-finalist in the composition category for the American Prize in 2023.
Daniel Stewart, the director of the Santa Cruz Symphony, called up Gaskell earlier this year and asked him to recompose Ceremonial Music, which was originally written for brass and organ, for a full orchestra. Along with the concert there will be a talk beforehand, featuring Gaskell as well as others. Students also get discounted rates on last minute tickets. The concert will also be rebroadcast on Sunday October 6th by KAZU.
More Information
September 21, 2024
Pre-concert talk – 6:30 PM
Concert – 7:30 PM
Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
September 22, 2024
Pre-concert talk – 1:00 PM
Concert –2:00 PM
Mello Center for Performing Arts
