Eric McIntyre (Artist-in-Residence, 2005)

Isle Royale Reflection

"I was an Artist-in-Residence at Isle Royale, staying at the Dassler Cabin for about three weeks in June 2005. Because I had composed a number of works inspired by water features in national parks, Isle Royale seemed an ideal place for me to seek inspiration for a large-scale composition. My proposed project was a half-hour concerto for flute, cello, and orchestra that would be premiered later that year by flute soloist Amy Saxton Wiggs, cello soloist Steven Wiggs, and the Fort Dodge Area Symphony, an amateur orchestra I was conducting at the time in Fort Dodge, IA.

I often describe my creative process as being one in which I think about the music for months or even years and write it in weeks and days, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I set off for the island. I guess I had expected to gather general experiences and see how those experiences might lead to musical thought."

- Read Eric's entire Isle Royale reflection about the composition of Of Minong

 

Of Minong for flute, cello, and orchestra by Eric L. McIntyre

Of Minong (2005) is a series of musical meditations on aspects of Isle Royale National Park. Surrounded by the waters of northern Lake Superior, this island wilderness has been the source of inspiration for uncountable numbers of artists, especially since the National Park Service hosts a series of artists in residence on the island each summer. Of Minong is the result of Eric's residency in the summer of 2005.

Of Minong was composed for the Fort Dodge Area Symphony and soloists, Amy Saxton Wiggs and Steven Wiggs. It received its premiere in October 2005.

 

  • Awakening and Reflections


    This first movement from "Of Minong" explores two images: (1) a very still early morning by Washington Creek as the white-throated sparrow breaks the silence and is gradually joined by other natural sounds, and (2) observations of sunlight dancing on the waves and ripples of Lake Superior.

    Credit / Author:
    Composed by Eric McIntyre. Performed by the Fort Dodge Area Symphony and soloists, Amy Saxton Wiggs and Steven Wiggs
    Date created:
    10/14/2020
 

  • In sepulcro aquoso


    This second movement from "Of Minong" is inspired by the numerous shipwrecks that surround the island, especially the wreck of the tourist liner America that lies just below the surface in a channel on the west end of the island. While there were no humans lost when that ship sank, the lone fatality was a dog named Spike, whose owners had left him tied to the ship’s stern. The middle section of the movement includes references to Spike in the form of distant whimpers from the solo cello.

    Credit / Author:
    Composed by Eric McIntyre. Performed by the Fort Dodge Area Symphony and soloists, Amy Saxton Wiggs and Steven Wiggs
    Date created:
    10/14/2020
 

  • Windigo


    The title of this third movement refers to Windigo, a fearsome mythical beast that, in native traditions, roamed the north woods eating human flesh. Windigo is also a village on the southwestern end of the Isle Royale, off which the vicious waters and rocks have eaten many a ship.

    Credit / Author:
    Composed by Eric McIntyre. Performed by the Fort Dodge Area Symphony and soloists, Amy Saxton Wiggs and Steven Wiggs
    Date created:
    10/14/2020
 
Eric McIntyre Portrait
Eric

About the Artist

Eric McIntyre was an Isle Royale Artist-in-Residence from June 7th to June 25th, 2005. He is a versatile artist who maintains careers as a composer, conductor, instrumental performer, and educator. He currently serves on the faculty of Grinnell College where he conducts the Grinnell Symphony and teaches music composition, theory, and history. He is also the Music Director of the Central Iowa Symphony and the Fort Dodge Area Symphony.

McIntyre began his professional career as a hornist with the Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera Orchestras when he was completing doctoral studies in composition at the University of Houston Moores School of Music. While still performing in Houston, he accepted a position on the faculty of the Hurley School of Music at Centenary College of Louisiana, where he conducted the Hurley Symphony Orchestra and directed the composition studio. He joined the Grinnell College faculty in 2003.

Beyond his musical activities, McIntyre and his wife Guinevere raise dairy sheep, dairy goats, turkeys, and chickens on their farms outside Grinnell, Iowa where they grow much of their own food. Guinevere is an active cheesemaker, and Eric is an amateur butcher who processes all of the meat they raise on the farm. They enjoy rural life with their sons Miles and Ty and their dogs Bibi, Little Dickens, and Pippi.

- Text adapted from Eric's personal webpage

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Last updated: January 22, 2020

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