Make Your Own Kind Of Music

A venture capitalist from California, a dentist in Iowa, the widow of a Massachusetts computer expert. They all have something in common: a love for music and the means to help create new sounds.

The three have put their own money into commissioning new music, an updated take on the patron system that once sustained composers like Bach, Mozart and Beethoven.

Using such groups as the New York-based nonprofit group Meet The Composer, regular people are riding a small, but growing wave of custom-ordered works being performed around the country.

"In a democratic society, we're trying to give individuals the chance to create the music of our time, with new sounds, new inspirations coming from living composers," said Heather Hitchens, president of Meet The Composer. "At the same time, a person can feel, 'Wow, I could give music for this special occasion, for a loved one."'

Maurice Barbash used some of the money he made as a Long Island real estate developer so he and his wife could bankroll a piano concerto by Christopher Rouse for Emanuel Ax and the New York Philharmonic.

"Commissioning is a way for people who can't play an instrument to make music," said Barbash. "That's got to be some kind of an ego trip!"

Anyone can commission music, including groups of friends or relatives who share the cost. That could be, for instance, $700 for a short flute or violin or voice solo, or hundreds of thousands of dollars for music as theater — depending on length, a composer's prominence, and the stature of the performers.

Usually the works are publicly performed, but some are premiered at home, for family and friends. The legal rights to any work remain with the composer.

Inspiration takes many forms.

William Rubright, a professor of dentistry at the University of Iowa, is enamored of the cosmos. He helped fund "Sun Rings," a work for strings with visual special effects by composer Terry Riley.

The dentist's $10,000 contribution, administered through the university's arts center, covered some of Riley's five-figure fee, with funding from NASA and other institutions completing the commission.

From California, Kathryn Gould is commissioning and showcasing the work of nine composers through Meet The Composer. Gould, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, says she funds the music for love, not for money.

"I don't dictate to the composers — they do whatever they decide to do. But I live for this music," said Gould, who plays the violin.

Meet The Composer has helped commission works by more than 700 composers since its founding in 1974 — mostly through large philanthropies and grants. With a $2 million annual budget, the organization is run by a board that includes Grammy-winning composers John Corigliano and Steve Reich.

After Hitchens took the helm five years ago, she decided to offer composers' services to individuals as well.

One couple who commissioned music before the organization started its program were lucky: The famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma was their friend.

Robert Goldberg and his wife, Judy, were seeking new music for their 25th wedding anniversary. Ma helped them choose six composers who each wrote a section of the New Goldberg Variations for cello and piano.

By the time the works were finished, Robert Goldberg had died of cancer.

"The motivation for our commission was to celebrate our very happy life together," said Judy Goldberg, a music educator. "And then the music became a memorial celebrating that wonderful life. Unlike people — all of us will disappear — this music is here forever."

By Verena Dobnik