On April 7, Gianni Milano, a first-year trombone performance major at the University of Denver’s (DU) Lamont School of Music, performed a piece special to his heart.
The piece is titled “Cycle of Sin” and was written specifically for an eight-piece trombone ensemble. What makes the piece especially unique is that it was composed by Milano who had no prior experience in composing.
“Looking back to my freshman year of high school, I never thought I would be majoring in music, let alone writing it. That’s a huge thing for me,” said Milano.
Milano brought his half-finished piece to Lamont trombone professor Richard Harris. Harris loved the piece and decided to have it played at the trombone studio’s recital in April.
“I feel very lucky that my professor trusted me and believed in me because he hadn’t heard the final version until after he said let’s do it in concert,” said Milano. “He put a lot of trust into me and that meant a lot.”
With his professor’s trust in tow, Milano finished the piece and perfected it for the performance. Milano built an unforgettable story around “Cycle of Sin” which is a testament to his creative versatility.
The piece told the story of an evil crime lord caught in a cycle of love, and you guessed it, sin. After falling in love, the crime lord has to relearn how to live his life in a more peaceful manner. But when his partner dies, he loses touch with himself and returns to his prior life of crime.
“This piece represents the conflict and duality within everybody, even those who may seem fully good or fully bad. We tend to judge people based on small samples of who they are and rarely take into account the full picture and the other sides they may have,” said Milano.
Milano designed the piece to represent the crime lord falling in love through a gentle solo. A beautiful section including the whole ensemble in the middle demonstrates the main character finding peace with his newfound love.
The piece becomes aggressive once more after the subject loses his lover and reverts back to crime. However, this final section takes on a melancholic tone to represent the sadness that drew the subject back to his old ways.
Milano designed the sections of this piece carefully, basking in the creative process of composing as opposed to playing. Milano noted that composing a piece for the first time was a turbulent yet meaningful experience for him.
“It’s really rewarding for me. I love performance and I love the work that goes into it, but it can be a lot at times. The composition aspect is a nice step back away from your primary instrument and more creative by thinking about music as a whole,” said Milano.
Of course, with any truly rewarding process, there are obstacles along the way. Any challenge that Milano faced along the way was quickly met with determination and resilience. That is seen in Milano’s successful performance of the piece, considering he has never taken a composition class prior to “Cycle of Sin.”
Milano was incredibly happy with how the piece turned out. He credits the faculty at Lamont for helping him develop the piece and reach its full potential. He hopes to have more of his composed pieces performed through the program as well.
“One of the TAs at the school is willing to offer me some composition lessons, which is great for me to just kind of ease into it with another student who has much more experience than me,” said Milano.
Composing has become one of Milano’s favorite creative outlets. Putting together and writing his own music has taught him a lot about himself and what music can do for people as a whole.
Since his success with “Cycle of Sin,” Milano has turned his focus towards another original piece with themes revolving around his love for nature, particularly in Colorado. His next piece will feature a larger brass group as opposed to an eight-person trombone ensemble.
“It’s a very rewarding process that takes a lot of effort and trust,” said Milano. “Not everybody has to like what I write, but if I like it and I use my voice to write what I want to write, there will be people who find that and appreciate that. It’s really cool. I think that’s a really good message, not just for music, but for the world.”
Music unites people and draws musicians together through a mutual bond. Whether you’re in a DIY three-piece punk band, a world-famous pop star or in an eight-person trombone ensemble, music connects everyone. The connection also extends to audience members as concertgoers are united through the simple act of listening. That is, as Milano put it, what makes music magical.
