Efferent Verb Team:
Meet Dominic McGonigal, a man who truly embodies the spirit of a Renaissance polymath. McGonigal holds numerous positions both in the world of music and business. As a composer, conductor, and singer with additional skills in cello, tuba, and piano, Dominic has proven his considerable prowess and diversity in the musical realm. Beyond his musical pursuits, he ventures into the business world with an entrepreneurial flair. He successfully manages one company advocating for the rights of actors and musicians, while another of his ventures seeks to revolutionize the age-old tradition of birthday cards by transitioning to digital greetings and gifts. This myriad of roles does more than just hint at his versatility – it demonstrates McGonigal’s commitment to innovation and the arts.
Interviewer: You have recently been commissioned to write a symphony. How did that come about?
Dominic: It started as a conversation with some of the players, then with the conductor Oliver Till. He was keen to have some new repertoire to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the London Medical Orchestra. I think he was expecting a one minute fanfare! But, he’s very excited by the early drafts and has been hugely helpful with the orchestration so that the musicians enjoy playing it. It’s going to be in four movements, inspired by cathedral architecture – The West Door, The Nave, The Choir, The Tower.
Interviewer: How did composing Missa Et Incarnatus Est, a large work for an 8-part choir and instrumental ensemble, help you develop your unique style of “confident writing for instruments and voices”?
Dominic: The Missa Et Incarnatus Est was my coming out as a composer. It was really the result of a 30 year gestation period, after I was silenced by the intense pressure I felt to conform to the post-modern idiom. It took me that long to have the confidence to allow my own voice to come through.
Interviewer: Can you share your experience working with Pat Halling on the commissioned string quartet for Quartet Pro Musica? How has this project influenced your approach to composing?
Dominic: Every composer deserves a Pat! I was lucky enough to meet Pat while we were campaigning (successfully) for an additional 20 years of copyright. It was actually at a music industry drinks event when we started chatting, and, much to my surprise, he asked me, “Will you write me a string quartet?” I said yes, even though I was terrified by the prospect. When we spoke a few days later, he asked for a substantial piece that could be the main item in a concert program. This was a daunting task for a composer who would only just recovered his voice and the first quartet took two years to write. But Pat liked it and wanted a second one, which flowed much more quickly. He was such an inspiration.
Interviewer: What inspired you to create “In The Beginning” for Fever Pitch’s Christmas repertoire, and how did you feel when it premiered at St. Paul’s Church in Covent Garden for a major charity event?
Dominic: “In The Beginning” was a commission by Fever Pitch choir, a group of very talented singers in London, who get together a couple of times a year. They are hungry for new repertoire and my brief was to write something new that they would enjoy singing, and that would work well in their various programmes at Saint Paul’s, Covent Garden, Southwark Cathedral and elsewhere. The writing is rich harmonically. It’s in eight parts and creates some wonderful sounds that resonate well in those buildings.
Interviewer: When working on the string quartet “Mathilde” for the Quartet Pro Musica, what inspired you, and what story were you aiming to convey through your music?
Dominic: Mathilde was a collaboration with the poet, Euan Tait. We wanted to tell the story of Mathilde and Arnold Schoenberg and the painter Richard Gerstl through the voice of Mathilde. So often the stories are related by the male characters, even though Mathilde is at the centre of the story. So, it’s her voice that sings throughout with the quartet. She expresses her loneliness in the marriage, excitement when Richard becomes part of the family, and the love that develops but sadly leads to tragedy. The final movement is a lament, drawing parallels with Dido’s Lament at the loss of her lover, and even now, it brings a tear to the eye when I hear it.
Interviewer: What was your communication and collaboration like with the Philomel ensemble and poet Euan Tait during the creation of “Night Song” and “Rhythm Herd”? How did these collaborations influence your creative process?
Dominic: I met Euan at a wedding where I was conducting the choir, and Euan had written a poem for the couple who are mutual friends. At the time, I’d just been commissioned by Philomel to write something for their inaugural concert and I was struggling as I had no text. Euan loved the idea of an all soprano ensemble. Three days later I received the poem, Night Song, and a day later I had written the piece. Euan and I have been working together ever since.
Interviewer: Reflecting upon the workshop that featured your composition “Ave Maria à 10”, could you share your experience of collaborating with the BBC Singers and Judith Weir?
Dominic: The opportunity to have the BBC singers sing one of your pieces is every composer’s dream. They are a wonderful ensemble – excellent musicians, technically top-notch, and lovely to work with. They sang the piece beautifully first time and really wanted to know more about my intentions as a composer in order tosing it even better. They were very generous in their feedback about the writing, as was Judith Weir.
Interviewer: Could you discuss the process of managing a career in the music industry while performing and conducting? Can you describe any notable challenges and successes you’ve encountered during this journey?
Dominic: It has been a challenge working in the music industry while performing and conducting in this business. Apart from the time constraints, you tend to be pigeonholed as one thing or the other. As both careers have developed, I have gained more control over my time and can create the head space for composing.
Interviewer: In your capacity as the musical director for various groups like W11 Opera, COMA Voices, and Stoneleigh Choral Society, what distinctive insights or abilities did you contribute to each role? How have these opportunities contributed to your development as a conductor and artist?
Dominic: In all my roles as musical director, I aim to get the best out of all the musicians, whatever we are playing or singing. The best feedback is when musicians say they really enjoyed playing a piece and I can hear that coming through in the performance. For me as a composer, this has given me an incredible insight into the mechanics of composition – the orchestration, the voicing, the technical capabilities and the sounds and textures that are possible. Equally, I like hearing that musicians enjoy performing my work.
Interviewer: Receiving positive feedback for your conducting abilities, particularly your “wonderful way with singers”, could you share some specific approaches or techniques you employ when working with vocalists to create a harmonious and effective collaboration?
Dominic: When working with voices, I do spend time on the voicing, either as a warmup, using warmups to encourage listening, tuning into each other and blending, or in rehearsal, unpicking the vocal texture, so that the singers can hear the line in context with all of the other lines. When I write for voices, I very often layer the lines to create a rich harmonic texture, where the resonances are created, not just by the individual voices, but by the combination of the parts. My Ave Maris Stella Takes Flight, commissioned by Canterbury Cathedral choir, which has just come out on the Palimpsest album, uses the layering to create a very rich, eight part texture in a rich acoustic of Canterbury Cathedral. Over the top of that layering is a high alto sax line which rests on top of the vocal lines, but has its own freedom to soar higher in a more improvisatory manner. The sax part is played beautifully by Sam Corkin. The Palimpsest album features 12 composers (all of us writing new works from old for sax and choir) and it’s available now on Amazon.Palimpsest: New Works From Old For Saxophone And Choir: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl
Award-winning composer
“Beautiful music”
Listen here Dominic McGonigal Playlists
Contact details:
Tel.:+44 7766 397807Email: dominic.mcgonigal@c8associates.com