Julie Maniscalco Interview | Respect the Artist
Julie Maniscalco is a Staten Island based composer and music educator. In the past few years, her projects have received NYC Cultural Affairs grants, including the virtual performance of her debut project, Terroir: Music for Jazz Orchestra. She is the Jazz WaHi 2023 Composition Competition winner for her piece, “State of Affairs”, which will be performed at the 6th Annual Washington Heights Jazz Festival on November 4, 2023. She is a member of the Howard Gilman Foundation Artist Residency Cohort through Staten Island Arts, as well as a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. Julie has premiered compositions at Carnegie Hall for both jazz band and symphonic band, and has performed with the Jazz WaHi Composers Sextet.
How did you get into creating?
I’d like to say it was from school, but I’ve been around music all my life. My dad was always playing music around the house growing up, and my mom was my biggest sounding board at performances. They both supported me to try so many activities growing up, and music was one that definitely stuck. As far as creative ‘training’ goes, I went to college for music, but so much of it took, or I should say, has taken years to digest. I like to think I’m a product of several schools of thought and exposure that got me to this point beginning with my early exposure, to my years playing and studying trumpet, to working in the music industry and even my career as a music educator. There’s so much influence there through the course of my life experience.
Where are you from?
Proudly born and raised in Staten Island, NY.
How did growing up in your neighborhood/city affect you?
Growing up in the north shore helped open me to Brooklyn, NYC, and so many different cultures and communities. I went to Curtis High School and there were so many opportunities to surround myself with music. My friends and I would always be at the Cargo Cafe on a Wednesday night to catch the Ray Scro/Mike Morreale Big Band, or Thursday nights watching the featured jazz combo, or heading over to Adobe Blues on a Friday or Saturday for their late night sets of whatever Jazz, R&B, or Latin group may be playing. There were so many opportunities to see music locally and you grow with those roots.
What did you do to advance your skills/knowledge?
I’m still trying to grow. There’s always more to do to get yourself out there, and ways to better express yourself as an artist. For me, it’s trying to get new perspective and inspiration, but also learning how express myself and my message clearly. Understanding when I’m ‘hearing’ something and how to represent it with the right instruments. I’m in my second year as a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, where we share new works with other composers. Feedback from other composers help me better understand how to fine tune my craft and clarify my message.
What does your current setup look like?
I have a nice, cozy set up at home. My laptop hooks up to a second monitor, so I could transition and work off of two spaces when writing music on Musescore or doing video edits on Final Cut Pro. Close by is a keyboard where I can hash out some melodic ideas or voicings that overlook the trees in my backyard. It’s not a big space, but it’s functional and filled with music texts for references and a bookshelf with CDs, most of them jazz, but kind of serves as my library.
Who inspires you?
My elementary students. Picasso said, “every child is an artist.” There are no bounds to their imagination because they haven’t learned to censor themselves. The world is such a big place and their curiosity and wonderment really help you look at things from a different lens. There have been times where I would share my music with my students, and the ideas and connections they make to the compositions are often surprising and unexpected. It’s very inspiring, especially for non-vocal music, to convey to the listener exactly what you’re going for, or even more so when they dig deeper and provide that unique perspective.
What is your goal when you create?
Create something true to me or true to the narrative behind the piece. I feel that I'm still finding my voice and even though I explore different mixes of genres or orchestration, still having it sound like “me” is important and figuring out who that is creatively.
Why do you create?
I’m an overthinker. I feel that a lot soundscapes and musical moments hit me a certain way, and writing music is my way to sort things out and express those ideas or feelings with different instruments in all kinds of layers. It’s my therapy.
How has choosing your creative path affected your life?
Composing has made me feel like a more complete human. They say, “where words fail, music speaks.” (Hans Christian Andersen) I’m able to write and represent my feelings, my surroundings, my upbringings, in ways that I may not otherwise be able to articulate. It just makes me feel seen.
Did you have to overcome any obstacles along the way?
There is always doubt when you’re trying to create something. With composing, you’re writing music to be played. In the beginning, when I was trying to just hear my ideas played by actual people it was nerve wracking and incredibly humbling. On the computer, the MIDI sounds only represent so much, but lack the warmth that people have that can bring the music to life. It wasn’t until some people took chances on me and encouraged me to have my compositions played and that it was worth being played, that I realized it was something that I should try to pursue.
I remember the first time I brought an arrangement into a school jazz band. It was so stimulating but also overwhelming and sort of emotional to hear your sounds being played for the first time ever. I felt every note choice was exposed and under such scrutiny. I was so grateful to hear it performed by a group of almost 20 music students, that I struggled to hear the details I needed to make improvements. It was like I was looking at the forest instead of the trees, but I had never seen the woods before. Now, I still get that excitement hearing my work, but am able to listen for key things to make improvements moving forward.
What's your go-to song right now and why is it important to you?
I’m usually checking out something based on my mood or a piece I’m looking to ‘study’ and learn something from. I can go down a rabbit hole looking up new music for me, or something that can inspire the direction I’m going in. But there was this piece that is not new, but it’s new to me called “Fog” by jazz vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant. I caught it on a YouTube release of a performance of the Monterey Jazz All-stars at Jazz at Lincoln Center. It was a vibe. It stopped me in my tracks the way that the piano came in, using colors I’ve always loved and texture of her voice. She goes into this swing feel and her attitude completely changes. It really shows the arc of the story in this performance. I really dig it.
What is your dream as an artist and what steps are you taking to reach your dream?
I want to be part of the conversation as someone, a female jazz composer from Staten Island, who has something to say and is trying to continue exploring and evolving with the jazz tradition. My dream is to keep writing and have my music represented well on stages across the island and in the NYC Jazz Community as well.
What would you tell someone else with a dream?
Surround yourself with people who will bring out the best in you – whether they invest their time, perspective, energy into your projects. Support is huge and helps us feel like our dreams are valid and worth pursuing. I'm so fortunate to have the people in my life.
Tell us about your most recent release
When the pandemic happened, I was the recipient of my first grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs through Staten Island Arts. It was meant to be an opportunity to share my music with the community and hear it live for the first time. That obviously couldn’t happen, but I was fortunate to work with several individuals who helped me transition to a virtual performance. Terroir: Music for Jazz Orchestra, is that project. One which I was fortunate to bring to the Hop Shoppe on September 9th, 2023 to a sold out crowd with a smaller 10-piece group and finally bring my initial release to fruition with my most recent grant project.
Share a link to your most recent release: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4bG6jfMGMM&t=1055s
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/juliemaniscalcomusic/
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Website: http://www.juliemaniscalcomusic.com
Photography credit: Photography by Christine Cruz
Hair & Makeup by Fallon Fitzpatrick
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