About
Who am I?
I am William Gomes,
a Minnesota native residing in the Twin Cities. I aim to compose and study music in light of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, which is to unite faith and reason in seeking all that is True, Good, and Beautiful. I am pursuing graduate study to eventually teach music theory at the university level, and offer a course that studies music through this lens.
MISSION
To make music for God's glory and to teach music in light of the Catholic intellectual tradition.
Biography
William Gomes is a music composer emerging from the world of undergraduate exploration into the realm of professional possibilities. The second student declared as a Music Composition Major from the University of St. Thomas, Gomes had benefitted and is grateful to have received special attention from his mentors, collaborating students, and faculty as he had used his time as an undergrad to continuously improve his craft exploring many avenues and opportunities to not only write new music, but to have it played and shared.
Gomes has a warm place in his heart for J. S. Bach, Sergei Prokofiev, Charles Ives, Igor Stravinsky, Steve Reich, Appalachian music, ragtime, Gregorian chant, and Catholic hymns. Music from these composers and genres serve as a source of great influence on his artistic style. Gomes identifies mostly as a neoclassical and minimalist writer. Gomes has been writing compositions since the age of thirteen but has been creating his own music since first taking piano lessons with Bryon Wilson at the age of five.
In his career at Saint Thomas, Gomes was a bass in the school’s liturgical choir for three years, in jazz singers for two semesters, and in a small Scola Cantorum that sang polyphony for the Mass. Gomes also studied piano under Dr. Vanessa Cornet and organ under Dr. David Jenkins. He has also had plenty of experience as a percussionist throughout elementary and high school, with a knack for playing mallets, timpani, and chimes.
Gomes now has a robust portfolio with works including several choral works, several works for strings a good amount of material for piano, and an original composition for orchestra. He was grateful to have been under the guidance of Dr. Joshua Bauder during his undergraduate career.
Gomes hopes to artistically flourish as he continues to develop and mature as a young composer, but most importantly he seeks that his writing may be ministry to share the love God has for you. Jesus reassures our anxious generation saying, “Do not be afraid (Lk 8:50).” “I will take care of everything (Surrender Novena).” You are loved; believe it, it is true.
