I had the good fortune of being selected for the Nautilus Composer-Librettist Studio. Over the course of two+ intensive weeks, I learned about a variety of music-theater characteristics, song structures, and songwriting techniques while collaborating with a composers and performers in the creation of new works. This was an incredible opportunity I’ve long wished to be part of. I came in knowing virtually nothing about how to write music for theater, despite having attempted to write many songs in several plays.

The Minnesota Star Tribune visited the studio to witness firsthand the magic of this program. They watched several works-in-progress, including a song written by me and composed by the great Timothy Kirchhof.

“The tone shifted greatly during rehearsal of the freshly written two-person scenes. A graveside dialogue sung by a grieving son (Joshua Row) and his deceased mother (Keri Rodau) brought to life Brian James Polak’s anguished lyrics that were lent weighty sadness by the minor-key music of Tim Kirchhof. Some participants were moved to tears as they offered feedback.”

Read the entire article here to learn more about this wonderful program, led by the inimitable Ben Krywosz at this link.

ABOUT NAUTILUS:

Since 1986 Nautilus (formerly The New Music-Theater Ensemble) has provided opportunities for the artistic growth of music-theater artists who create, develop, and produce new operas and other forms of music-theater that are emotionally expansive, dramatically engaging, and spiritually stimulating. We form partnerships between creators, performers, and audiences in order to contribute to the quality and diversity of new American music-theater, and we envision an extended family of artists and audiences that uses music-theater as a tool to support the individual and collective growth of the human spirit.