John Mackey

Biography

John Mackey was born in New Philadelphia, Ohio and grew up in Westerville, Ohio, where he attended Westerville South High School. Though musicians themselves, Mackey's parents did not provide him with music lessons, and he never formally studied an instrument. His grandfather, however, taught him to read music and introduced him to digital music notation. Through experimentation with programs intended for entertainment rather than education, Mackey began to compose his own music. He wrote his first piece, Lacrimosa, at age 11, after being inspired by the film Amadeus. As a young composer, he took some lessons from one of his mother's friends, who had a Ph.D. in music.

Mackey received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1995 from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Donald Erb. He then studied with John Corigliano at Juilliard, receiving a Master of Music degree in 1997. Mackey has stated his support for these institutions' policies of not requiring composers to perform an instrumental audition, as many composers, like himself, do not play an instrument. On this subject, Mackey has said, "There are obviously ways to compose music without playing a formal instrument."

Mackey lived in New York City from 1995 to 2005, where he collaborated frequently with choreographers such as David Parsons, Robert Battle, and Igal Perry. Mackey moved to Los Angeles in 2005. In April 2008, he announced on his blog his intention to move to Austin, Texas, explaining that much of his income is a result of commissions and other appearances in the Texas area. Then in March 2011, Mackey posted a blog to announce his move to Cambridge, Massachusetts in order for his wife to attend graduate school. In 2019, he moved with his wife to San Francisco, California, where he currently resides.

Concert band

Mackey's first professional work was writing for dance companies. However, after attending the College Band Directors National Association conference in Minneapolis, he received a commission to reorchestrate his 2003 orchestral work "Redline Tango" for concert band. After reluctantly accepting, he completed the concert band version in 2005, and it became a great success. Today, most of his works from the past decade have been for concert band. He regularly receives commissions from high school bands, college bands, and professional wind ensembles in the United States and Asia.

List of works

Orchestra

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night (1993)

Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra (2000)

Redline Tango (2003)

Antiphonal Dances (2003)

Under the Rug (2004)

Harvest: Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra without Strings (2009)

Aurora Awakes (2019)

Songs from the End of the World (2019)

Wind ensemble/concert band

Redline Tango (2005); won the ABA Ostwald Award

Sasparilla (2005)

Turbine (2006)

Strange Humors (2006)

Turning (2006)

Kingfishers Catch Fire (2007)

Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble (2007); a piano reduction is available as of 2013.

Clocking (2007)

Undertow (2008)

Asphalt Cocktail (2009)

Aurora Awakes (2009); won the ABA Ostwald Award and the NBA William D. Revelli Memorial Composition Contest

Harvest: Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra without Strings (2009)

Xerxes (2010)

Hymn to a Blue Hour (2010)

Foundry (2011)

Drum Music: Concerto for Percussion and Wind Ensemble (2011)

Sheltering Sky (2012)

High Wire (2012)

The Frozen Cathedral (2013)

The Soul Has Many Motions (2013)

Night on Fire (2013), movement II of "The Soul Has Many Motions" (available separately)

Adaptable Ensemble

This Cruel Moon – adaptable (2020), minimum 5-parts (SAATB)

Strange Humors – adaptable (2020), minimum 4-parts (SATB) plus djembe

Let Me Be Frank With You (2020), minimum 4-parts (SATB) plus drum set

Sheltering Sky – adaptable (2020), minimum 4-parts (SATB)

Night on Fire – adaptable (2021), minimum 4-parts (SATB) plus one percussionist

Choir

Alleluia (1992), for 5-part choir (S1, S2, A, T, B)

The Rumor of a Secret King (2017), for SATB choir; text by A. E. Jaques

Cradle Song (2021), for SATB choir; text by A. E. Jaques

Chamber ensemble

Elegy and Fantasie (1989, 1991), for violin and piano

Tango (1991), for viola and two pianos

Mom Song (1991), for flute, guitar, cello, and harpsichord

Piano Trio in Two Movements (1992), for violin, cello, and piano

The Other Side (1994), for double bass or cello and piano

Mood Indigo (1996), for piano and drum set

Strange Humors (1998), for string quartet and djembe

Damn (1998), for amplified clarinet and four percussionists

Voices and Echoes (1999), for string quartet

Rush Hour (1999, revised 2000), for clarinet, electric string quartet, and drum set

Breakdown Tango (2000), for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano

Juba (2003), for electric string quartet and percussion

Wrong-Mountain Stomp (2004), for violin, viola, and cello

Mass (2004), for percussion ensemble

Strange Humors (2008), for saxophone quartet and djembe

Sultana (2009), for saxophone and piano

Strange Humors (2012), for clarinet quartet and djembe

Musical theater

Score and songs for Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Dallas Theater Center (2001)