Emeritus nomination for John Marvin, 15.April.98

"Science and the arts generally prefer to occupy separate rooms, but every now and then someone comes along to knock down walls.  John Marvin, mathematician and composer, is such a person."

This is from the program notes of the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall, where John's "Octet for Winds" premiered two Sundays ago, directed by Michael Tilson Thomas.

Josie Reed explained that:

John's octet for woodwinds was to have had its premier ...at Davies Symphony Hall last year. The [San Francisco Symphony] went on strike ahead of the performance, and it was nip and tuck whether or not it would be performed. John got all ready, invited family, etc. AND the strike wasn't resolved until 1/2 hr too late...so he didn't get his day in the sun... Until this 5th of April - finally!

Terry Hubbard notes that:

it's a MAJOR recognition to have a world class symphony like SF accept a composition in its repertoire. Kudos for John. Maybe TESC can commission an alternative to the Goeduc Battle Song from John, or at least some tasteful variations on it. Maybe scored for instruments created in one of Sean Williams' classes? Vocals by Chuck P.?

John has been making music since he was a kid playing the oboe.  He was composing music at the same time that he earned a master's degree in Mathematics from Johns Hopkins.

Before he came to Evergreen, John lived in the Washington DC area. He worked with math and computers by day (at the Goddard Space Flight Center) and made music at night (playing oboe and English horn at the Kennedy Center). At Goddard, John collaborated with astrophysicists to model systems from radio astronomy to the big bang.

John came to Evergreen 10 years ago, and has co-taught in programs in arts and sciences.  (Um, I've been asked to dispel any rumors about John's contributions to the first program he taught here. In Science and Perception, a core program (88-89), all three of John's colleagues - Carrie Margolin, Sarah Rideout, and Ernestine Kimbro - got pregnant. John swears in his portfolio that he wasn't responsible for this aspect of the team's creativity!)

Since I've known him, John has been collaborating with physicists again, teaching Calculus in M&M and advanced mathematics in Physical Systems and Energy Systems.  (None of us has gotten pregant yet.) This year, his new primer on the mathematics of General Relativity is being used by students in Energies. Don Middendorf describes John's teaching as:

quiet, methodical and jazzed about the mathematics of relativity. His composure and calmness in the madness of teaching programming with Mathematica this week was something [we'd all] like to be able to copy.

When I met John 2 years ago, he was in a midlife crisis. I didn't realize it until later, since he seemed as calm and focussed as always.  His longtime partner had fallen for a younger man, and they moved apart.  John not only managed to get through spring quarter 96 without a leave of absence, but he came through that rough year with great new growth, including the recording of a CD of his work for English horn and piano by Caroline Hove of the LA Philharmonic (for Crystal Records).

In July 96, John fell in love at a composer's conference. Debra Kavasch and John celebrated the fourth of July last year by getting married.  They bought a new home in CA last winter, and they are making beautiful music together, and building a music studio above their garage.   John's latest triumph was the debut of his octet at Davies Hall on April 5. The program quotes some of John's insights about connections between math and music:

"Different truths [are] expresssed by music and mathematics... and John emphasizes that mathematicians think of pure mathematics as an art. [John explains that]

Different arts have different expressive modes and express different things.  Language has limits on what it can express, and music fills a gap.  It can speak of our inner lives in a way that language cannot.  I think mathematics is more like language because the symbols all have meanings, whereas a musical symbol is ambiguous.  'Truth' in music is intuitive; whereas in math, 'truth' has to meet with standards of logical rigor.

John keeps finding new ways to express his truths in mathematics, music, and life.  His General Relativity text will be published later this year; I look forward to hearing the CD of his new octet; and we congrate John and Debbie on their recent marriage and new home.  (Enjoy the sun, the time to write more music, and keep in touch with email.)