David Homan had no illusions about his financial future as a serious composer. Sitting in a spacious café in Midtown bathed in late-afternoon sunshine, he smiles and says, “I knew that being a composer would never be a way to make a living, so I chose to work as an arts administrator.”
At 35 he is the youngest executive director of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation in the organization’s history. And he’s a composer whose music has been featured in many theater productions and dance programs. One of his most successful collaborations with a choreographer resulted this spring in a unique result, his daughter Eva. You see, Homan’s wife is Ariel Grossman, head of Ariel Rivka Dance. He serves the company as executive director/composer.
That name may be familiar to Jewish Week readers. Homan and Grossman’s previous collaboration took place last winter when the company premiered “The Book of Esther,” a deft two-part reimagining of the biblical story that puts a feminist twist on the plight of Vashti while underlining the courage of her Jewish successor. His music is finally going to be released on CD next month.
Raised a cultural Jew in Gainesville, Fla., Homan firmly asserts that sees himself “as a Jewish composer,” and was delighted to take on “Esther.”
“This is a specifically Jewish work, with strong themes that we gave our own interpretation,” he says. I came up with melodies that sounded ‘Jewish’ but weren’t klezmer or used Middle-Eastern modalities, and I layered them on top of my style.”
That style draws from three major influences, Homan says: “Brahms by way of Ralph Vaughn Williams, Bartok and Philip Glass. Neo-classical, neo-Romantic, that’s how I write and how I want people to hear it.”
He loves writing music for dance and theater because narrative imposes a structure, an armature upon which he can build.
But he also likes writing songs, and has been dabbling in rock music in a band with his brother Daniel. Their band, EVA, uses both classic and contemporary poetry as the basis for a pop sound that he says mixes “Brahms, Satie, Scriabin, all favorites of mine, with Dave Matthews and Eric Clapton.”
It’s a project that Homan says will continue to produce more songs and recordings, but “there is never going to be a live show.” Too many schedules to coordinate, you know.
David Homan’s music is available on his website, homanmusic.com and amazon.com.
The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
