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At the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts, he usually is either performing on stage in one of several music ensembles or working as a paid staff member. But at the upcoming PSU Wind Ensemble concert, planned for 3 p.m. on Feb. 16, he’ll be listening from the audience.
Of special interest to him: the world premier of a piece called “Roan Mountain,” written for a place that embodies an indescribable natural beauty and subtle humility in the heart of Appalachia.
It is where Wolfe’s grandfather was laid to rest 20 years ago, and where relatives of his father Jeremy – an assistant social professor at Pitt State – still live.
The song is special for another reason: it was composed by Wolfe, a music major with an outside emphasis in media production.
“I wrote this piece because of my deep respect and admiration for this range, and fervent belief that music can describe what words can't,” Wolfe said. “Whether this piece accomplishes that is up to interpretation, but I believe that it's a very good listen either way.”
It’s not common for a student, particularly one aged 21, to compose a piece for a full ensemble to play. It requires writing music for an array of instruments, including flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, trombones, euphoniums, and percussion.
In the Music Department, Wolfe has had an excellent mentor: Professor John Ross, himself a composer whose pieces have been performed by ensembles across the nation.
“Dr. Ross oversaw the entire composition process in solo lessons and offered guidance throughout to improve playability, orchestration, and character,” Wolfe said. “Every movement was scrutinized and amended by him and without his tutelage, the end result would not be possible.”
Ross said the two have examined a breadth of music from the classical Stravinsky to the pop Stevie Wonder as inspiration.
“Everything can be learned from, and nothing is off-limits,” Ross said.
For Wolfe, Pitt State has provided a sort of “music laboratory” With the help of the PSU Wind Ensemble, “Jude can take his musical ideas, turn them into music notation, produce the score and a set of parts, and then hear how the live performance is representative of his original conception,” Ross said.
Wolfe sits in each time the ensemble rehearses and is grateful for the feedback of the musicians and director, Associate Professor Andrew Chybowski.
“It's very surreal to hear passages being interpreted by a few dozen musicians right before my eyes that I wrote on my computer, and it's taught me a great deal about what works, what needs improvement, and what I can do to make subsequent works of mine more intuitive,” he said.
Wolfe, who also writes and records original tunes for his funk band The Little Green Men, comprised of fellow Music majors, hopes to one day compose music for films.
“I have a fascination with story-based music. The ability music has to tell a narrative or establish a mood is unlike any other creative medium,” he said.
He’s well on his way.
“Amusing to me is that after our lessons together, I find myself absent-mindedly singing a fragment of melody from Jude’s current piece,” Ross said.
Wolfe is one of four composers to be featured in the concert, which is free and open to the public.
It will feature evocative compositions that paint a portrait of cultural heritage, invite the audience to share a musical devotion, bravely tell a story of a personal struggle with depression, and depict the sounds and natural beauty of a beloved corner of the country.
“Composers Melanie Donahue, David Maslanka, Randall Standridge, and Jude Wolfe each share something through their music that is an important part of who they are as people and musicians,” Chybowski said.
The concert will feature Pitt State faculty soloists Christina Webster on flute and Masha Begacheva on cello.
