Part 2: Conducting for CineConcerts - An interview with John Jesensky
Take a peek behind the curtain and see what it takes to conduct a CineConcerts show! We spoke with conductor and composer John Jesensky about his road to the podium. This is the second part of the interview, where we learn about John’s passion for composing!
Be sure to follow CineConcerts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and -- of course -- our website for more insider info on the amazing world of film music!
Conductor and composer John Jesensky
CineConcerts (CC): You are a composer in addition to a conductor correct?
John Jesensky (JJ): I am a composer of both film and concert works, I actually just wrote a piece for the Hartford Symphony, for their 75th anniversary. I like to keep up with writing non-film music too, and write some things that are a little more experimental, things that a director might not want to have in a movie.
I am actually currently writing the score for a Lifetime movie, which I know is sentence I thought I would never say. My friend, who is actually a horror director, was asked to write an Alfred Hitchcock-type movie for Lifetime, and he asked me to compose music for it, and I said, “you know that’s crazy enough for me to do it.”
CC: Did you know you were going to be a film composer when you were in school?
JJ: It’s different for everybody, but for me, I had no idea what it would be like when I got to grad school. I had the idea that it was going to be really easy and despite all my professors warning me saying it’s going to be really hard, it’s hard, brace yourself, I thought “nah, it’s going to be really great and easy to become a composer.” So by the time I got to grad school I thought, “oh I should probably move out to Los Angeles.”
But you just keep at it. The way I really got into it was by making a lot of friends who are directors - and I am a lover of movies, not just the music but movies, and how they are made. I could talk to directors all day long about how they do what they do because I am really curious about it. Luckily that got me a few friends who are directors and when they have a project come up they would ask me to write music for it and it kind of just built from there. I was fortunate enough to get some recognition when I was at NYU, I had some scores that won awards, so I had some eyes on me and some directors who wanted to work with me.
CC: Do you remember the first time you noticed the music in a movie?
JJ: The first time I noticed music (in a movie) was Jurassic Park, but I was way too young to really process how immersive and cool it was. It’s actually ironic that I am talking about CineConcerts and I conduct Harry Potter, because Harry Potter was the first time that I actually was sitting in a theater and had a grasp of music and it hit me just how much that music creates the atmosphere. But Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s Stone depending on where you are) was the first movie where I was just sitting there and realized that (along with the visuals), the music was making me feel like I was in this other world. I was flying, and felt scared for Harry. It just completely changed my perspective. I think I was a sophomore in high school at the time and it was that moment I actually decided that this is what I want to do with my life, and so Harry Potter put me on this path.
CC: Do you have a favorite film composer?
JJ: There is this Williams guy, (laughing) no, I mean John Williams definitely, he’s how I learned how to compose orchestra music. But you know Danny Elfman - I was absolutely head over heels for Danny Elfman as well with his Batman scores, Edward Scissorhands, and certainly James Horner. When I started writing, James Horner was who I sounded the most like which probably means that I was stealing the most from him. Those three guys were it, and as I got older Jerry Goldsmith as well. They really had such a profound impact on my career and how I learned to write music. Nothing tops the originals.
CC: What do you love about what you do?
JJ: As a composer and conductor we are working second by second to create a magical experience for you. Whether I am behind a piece of paper writing or I am at the podium, I am always thinking about how I would feel as an audience member. We are not just musicians up there, or writers in a studio, we are also fans and I am always putting myself into that perspective. It is such a gift to be able to make music with such amazing musicians and conduct them, but at the end of the day, I am doing this for the audience. Whether it’s The Godfather, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Polar Express, or Harry Potter, it’s always about putting my musical and artistic focus on what I would love as an audience member. So if you go to one of our shows and you feel a connection, just know that we are doing it all so you can have very special and unforgettable experience.
Conductor and composer John Jesensky