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Roger Kalia: Would you please describe how this commission came to be and what was your initial reaction in composing a brand new work for OSM?
Jason Anthony Gomez: Since our meeting in 2014 when you guest-conducted the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, and after following your career and concert programming over the years, I knew I wanted to collaborate with you and OSM. And when I discovered Santa Monica appointed its first-ever Poet Laureate, Anne Carmack, in 2024, it seemed involving her in a project with OSM would be fantastic. Then, of course, after reaching out to you about this project, and later learning that the guest artist OSM wanted to feature (i.e., Jubilant Sykes) coincidentally also happened to know Anne, this made the collaboration feel all the more natural and meant to be. When the project was officially approved, I was thrilled! I also felt a bit overwhelmed at first. Anne’s text, which is central to the work, is extensive and powerful, and it took me a couple of weeks to sit with her words before I could develop a clear compositional strategy. Ultimately, it’s been an inspiring journey to bring this piece to life.
Roger: How did Anne Carmack’s words influence your compositional process? Did any particular lines or themes from Potentia resonate with you most strongly?
Jason: Anne’s text profoundly influenced the music from start to finish. The cyclical nature of her poem - its exploration of birth, death, and the endless dance between beginnings and endings - shaped the structure of the piece. This idea is beautifully encapsulated in the line “I have arrived,” which both opens and closes the poem. Its simplicity carries profound depth, and it became a central thread in the composition, anchoring the piece’s emotional and structural journey. It invites questions: What are we arriving at? Life? Death? Both? To reflect this, I felt the music also needed to feel cyclical. Recurring themes weave through the entire work, especially in the first and final movements, creating a sense of continuity and return.
Roger: Can you share a bit about your approach to scoring Potentia for a full orchestra? Were there specific instruments or textures you used to convey the poem’s essence?
Jason: When I scaled out my original sketches for full orchestra, I had a couple of key goals in mind. I wanted the music to feel lush and full but never overbearing or intimidating. I often drew inspiration from Joe Hisaishi’s scores for Hayao Miyazaki’s films, which strike a perfect balance between grandeur and approachability. His approach influenced how I shaped climactic and cadential moments in Potentia. At the same time, I’ve always loved the intimacy of chamber music, so I made sure to create space for smaller, more delicate instrumentations within the larger orchestral framework. These moments allow the music to breathe and bring a sense of closeness to the listener. One element I was especially excited about was the opportunity to include a harp in this project. The harp adds a cohesive, grounding quality that ties the work together. Its timbre beautifully reflects the grand scope of the “life cycle” while keeping the tone warm and inviting, capturing the essence of the poem.
Roger: How does composing for a world premiere performance differ from your other projects? Does the collaboration with a poet add unique challenges or opportunities?
Jason: Composing for a world premiere of this scale has been a uniquely collaborative experience, which differs from many of my previous projects. I’ve enjoyed this experience, as it’s been a pleasure to work with so many wonderful people. I’ve also been moved by their collective trust, support, and encouragement throughout the process. Working with Anne has been an absolute joy. From the very beginning, she placed an incredible amount of faith in me with her text, which is something I’ve deeply appreciated.
Roger: Could you describe your creative process for this work? How do you balance interpreting the poem while staying true to your own artistic voice?
Jason: My creative process for this work began with spending a significant amount of time sitting with the text before writing a single note. I focused on understanding how each stanza made me feel and envisioning the best textures and emotions to bring out its essence. While the poem is a single, continuous piece, I divided it into six smaller sections that felt like the most logical breaks. My goal was to connect and blend these sections seamlessly, creating a flow similar to a rock concept album. While I worked to deeply understand and honor Anne’s text, I didn’t feel the need to adjust my artistic voice to accommodate it. Anne and I had a couple of conversations about this once the piece was completed, and we both agreed that the poem and the music naturally complement one another in ways we couldn’t have anticipated at the outset. By staying true to our individual voices, the collaboration has resulted in a piece that feels greater than the sum of its parts.
Roger: What excites you most about hearing Potentia performed by OSM at the Broad Stage?
Jason: What excites me most is the performers and audience members coming together to create a shared experience. To me, composition is a conversation and the synthesis of a moment in time. Over the past several months, I’ve worked to express my part, crafting a piece that both speaks to the people of Santa Monica and honors Anne’s poetry. Now it’s time for the musicians and the audience to contribute their voices, completing the dialogue in a way only a live performance can achieve. I look forward to everyone’s thoughts about the piece, whether positive or critical, and to see if I’ve succeeded in capturing the moment.
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