10 Questions With… Olin Hannum, associate director of bands at Oregon State University.
What is the piece of music or composer that first really captivated you as a kid?
I can't really remember one thing sticking out from when I was a kid, but when I was in high school I was obsessed with West Coast punk. Bands like The Offspring, No Use For A Name, Green Day, Lagwagon, etc. dominated my listening time.
What makes you passionate about higher education?
It's a beautiful space in the educational timeline because of the mixture of academic narrowing and broadening that students experience at the same time. Obviously through high school in the United States, most students have briefly touched many subjects and in college they are asked to specialize and dedicate study much deeper into a single subject. However, every field that can be studied at university is one that is incredibly broad. That means that once those students begin to really explore their chosen field, it often opens up to them in a way that is really fun to watch. They discover so many different sub-specializations, career paths, interests, and niches within their study. Watching students get excited about discovering and exploring a new narrow interest is really motivating, and I get to see it happen over and over.
Who in the music world do you look to as a mentor and why?
I'm going to give two answers here. In the marching band world it has to be Brad Townsend, who is currently the athletic bands director at the University of Pittsburgh. I was his graduate assistant way back when and to this day I will often instinctively emulate his style in all kinds of ways. In the non-marching world it's Peter Nowlen, who was my undergraduate horn teacher and also band director. Pete was the source of new music for me for my entire time studying with him, and when I was a senior he put me in charge of my own band for the first time. I got to experience music directing very early relative to most people and that's really what got me started in the profession.
What advice would you give the younger version of yourself who was just starting college?
This is the piece of advice I give to young people the most right now and it would definitely have been useful to that version of myself: Don't worry about what kinds of things you are "supposed" to be interested in. Really try and reflect on your own taste and dig within yourself about why you like what you like. That kind of practice is what gives rise to discovery, and allows you to have a voice that is distinctly your own.
You’ve performed your own composition at Carnegie Hall, so what other big musical aspirations do you hold for the future?
I just want to be in a position to keep writing, and hopefully people enjoy the work enough that they keep being willing to perform it.
What was your favorite course in college?
Other than performing groups, my favorite course was probably class piano. It was at 8 a.m. and in the basement, but I had a great teacher, Amelia Triest, and she showed us all kinds of cool stuff in addition to the material we were supposed to be learning.
How does learning music also impact other areas of study?
That's such a large question that it's hard to answer here. People have dedicated their careers to answering that question and I'm not sure I can give you a good answer there.
The winter season has so much music attached to it that evokes sentiment and nostalgia. Do you have a particular piece you love playing this time of year?
Absolutely, but it changes all the time. Right now I'm very into the piece called Hope by Dutch composer Stijn Aertgeerts. Really amazing piece of art, incredibly evocative of the reflective nature of the season. I get lost in it every time I hear it.
When is your next performance?
I'm conducting ‘Hope’ with the Oregon Brass Society at the Methodist church here in Corvallis on Dec. 14. It's going to sound incredible in that space.
What is your favorite non-academic pursuit or passion?
I'm a big bicycle rider. Riding to work every day, riding around the forests around here, thousand-mile tours, it all puts a smile on my face.
