Michael Frazier was appointed assistant professor of Composition in 2023 after first joining Oberlin Conservatory as a visiting assistant professor in 2021. As a Black and Latino composer, his compositions have been performed in venues across the world by various groups such as Strings & Hammers, OSSIA New Music, Musica Nova, Trio Alexander, Musique 21, Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, and Birds on a Wire. Frazier’s compositional endeavors blend his love for jazz, birdsong, and expansive harmonies with his passion for creativity, embracing his identity, and engaging with freer approaches to melody and structure.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Could you expand upon your compositional background and inspirations?

I’ve been composing “professionally” since 2010 when I started studying composition as an undergraduate at the University of South Florida. Since then, I’ve tackled composition mostly to combat the perspective of my then-advisor who said to not choose composition as a career track due to its uncertainty in “making it.” I took that as a challenge and I was like, “Yeah, let’s give that a try.” 

A lot of my approach is rooted in improvisation, at least as a starting point to come up with materials, motives, harmonies, sounds, whatever it is. I like to feel what makes the most sense, what feels right. All these things, of course, are informed by a base knowledge that people have of music and art in general, which is informed by upbringing, perspective, lived experience, so on and so forth. That all exists and I acknowledge it, but at least when I think about it in terms of my process, I try to focus mostly on feeling and sound.

Jazz music is one of my favorite genres. I always go back to it for relaxation and enjoyment — not thinking, just listening. A lot of my harmony, for example, is certainly jazz inspired. I never claim to be a jazz composer or say that I write jazz specifically, but I think the parallels and comparisons are certainly there, especially from an analytical standpoint.

What do you consider an important aspect of your musical pedagogy?

Throughout undergrad and grad school, one thing I really liked was that my professors were very passionate about my interests and how I wanted to grow, develop, and push myself artistically. That was a really important facet of my education because it was less so focused on trying to force me in a certain direction or saying, “You have to do things a certain way,” or, “Don’t do these things.” There was some of that, of course, but it felt much more liberating in grad school for my professors to just ask, “What do you have for me today?”

So, I would say at the forefront of my pedagogy is that I’m certainly focused on students’ interests: how they approach music — and life in general — and what they’re interested in achieving, whether it’s small- or large-scale ambitions. It is a challenging approach because you never know what will be encountered on a weekly basis, but I find making the overall journey of working with students a priority, especially with composition, is rewarding for myself and hopefully for the students as well.

Could you talk about your experiences with supporting POC students and communities when it comes to music, whether it be in your own department or outside of it?

As a composer of color, this is always a consideration I have, whether it’s just presenting myself with the awareness that I am a person of color or trying to make an effort to make people aware of certain pockets in music and art where under-representation still happens to this day. For example, in my classes I’ll try to include composers of color, musicians of color, women composers, so on and so forth, to offer multiple perspectives and backgrounds and not simply rely on what is most common in music history, music education, and beyond.

When it comes to my own experience as a composer, one of the things that I like the most is interaction and working with performers and artists toward the collaborative goal of the presentation of music, whether it’s my own or someone else’s. Oftentimes I’ll find myself wanting to work with fellow composers and musicians of color in an effort to create not only a bond but also to use that as a stage to present ourselves creatively toward this collaborative shared goal of the simple enjoyment of music as a community.

Why Oberlin?

I feel so fortunate that I was even made aware of this position and that there was space for a composer to be added to the faculty. I started here with the expectation that it would only be a year and I was thinking, “Okay, in a year I’ll do as much as I can. I’ll try to make my presence known to the people and try to make some sort of impact on the department — what can I do within a year to make it feel like I contributed in some sort of meaningful way?” Much to my surprise, two years after that, I was given the actual position as an assistant professor, and it made me realize that it actually would have been very, very difficult for me to not have gotten that news — not so much because of job security, but because of the bond that I had already built within a year, or even a semester, working with all these fine composers and musicians around the Conservatory and Oberlin at large. I felt that Oberlin, more so than anywhere else I’ve been, genuinely feels like family and that people really care and are enthusiastic about what everybody is doing. I love being a part and aware of things, I love to help in any way I can, so being in an environment where the idea of community and support is so powerfully lauded, it actually felt right for me.

What are some things you enjoy outside of music and composition?

Video games are number one — my top three are Bloodborne, the Monster Hunter series, and Pokémon. When I was a kid Pokémon appeared, so I’ve literally grown up alongside that franchise for almost three decades now. I’ve been able to share those experiences with friends and my wife in particular, so it’s always nice to go back to reminisce but still get enjoyment out of it. Besides video games, I love to cook and bake, especially with my wife. She and I share a lot of our passions. My wife and I are huge bird lovers and we’re especially excited for the weather to get better so we can venture out to properly bird and enjoy our flying feathered friends.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

My current project is a commission by the Sphinx Organization and the Eastman School of Music for a large project called “Reloading the Canon.” It’s a focus on concerti for strings. I’m writing for viola, which is fantastic because I’m a huge viola nerd. I was offered this commission late last summer to write a viola concerto to feature the virtuosity and expression of the viola at the forefront of the ensemble. With all that background in mind, the piece is inspired by a really important bird for Guatemalan culture, the resplendent quetzal.

What’s really striking about male resplendent quetzals is that they have this vibrant, emerald body and this very long, flowing tail. As you see them flying through the canopy and trees, it’s almost like a kite and this tail falls through it. I’m trying to capture that visual inspiration — these larger gestures that have this tail of material flow afterwards, all within an eight-minute piece.