The Art of Sound: A Young Composer’s Journey to the Kennedy Center

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By Amy Karagiannakis

Matthew Felbein, a music education major, recently had the pleasure of sitting in the audience at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts while his composition was performed by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. (GMCW). The Portraits Project, which began in 2021 by the GMCW, invited artists to submit a painting depicting an aspect of the human experience, including identity expression and historical references specific to the LGBTQ+ community. Following the selection of nine artworks, a second call was made to composers to create and submit pieces inspired by one of the nine visual artworks selected by the GMCW. Through visual art, music, and dance, Portraits represents the vibrant spectrum of sexual, gender, racial, ethnic, and cultural identities in a nine-movement oratorio. Felbein, drawn to the concept of writing music based on a painting, submitted his composition in 2023 when he was just nineteen years old and a freshman at the University of Illinois School of Music.

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The specific artwork that inspired Felbein was Steeled, a painting by Judith Peck that deeply resonated with him. The artwork depicts a woman wrapped in a shawl with windswept hair sitting on what appears to be a jagged rocky terrain of some sort. Felbein was captivated by the idea of resilience and the theme of “steeling oneself” to face life’s challenges, which was reflected in the painting. He interpreted the piece as a reflection of both vulnerability and strength, symbolized by the one exposed hand of the woman in the painting. “I took that, at the beginning of the piece, as the feeling of having to hide yourself away from the world for some reason or another. And then it extends to, ‘your hand is right there. Just give me your hand, reach out, because I’m here for you.’ Those feelings of home and the feelings of ‘you don’t have to be alone’ were the things that I wanted to end the piece with.” This vision informed the emotional and musical depth of his composition.

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Felbein’s composition was selected to be performed at the Kennedy Center, where it became one of nine pieces showcased in Portraits which took place on June 16, 2024. His work received widespread acclaim, including praise from attendees of the post-concert panel discussion. They noted the impact of his music, both in its melodic beauty and in the emotional weight it carried. One memorable moment from the performance came when a singer expressed how the line “reach out your hand” moved him so deeply that he had to dig his fingernails into his palms to control his emotions while singing.

Felbein reflected on his broader musical journey, which began at age four when he started learning how to play the piano and led to the church choir and the French horn. “I wanted to major in music education, partly because I had such great music educators in my past, and I was so so very lucky to have been taught by them. Not just the music side of things, but they taught me how to be a good human being as well. I feel like that’s so important, and I was hoping that I would be able to do the same.” Beyond composing, Felbein is deeply involved in many facets of music at Illinois, from serving as drum major in the Marching Illini to accompanying various ensembles.

Felbein’s experience in Washington, DC, was transformative, not just because of the honor of having his piece performed at such a prestigious venue but also because of the connections he made with members of the Gay Men’s Chorus, some of whom had lived through significant moments in LGBTQ+ history, such as the AIDS crisis. As a young man who identifies as gay, this personal connection added another layer of meaning to Felbein’s work.

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Following the performance, the Kennedy Center hosted an Artist Talkback. This consisted of a panel of 9 artists, one from each of the different paintings – some were the painter themselves, or the composer, or the choreographer. Felbein was the artist representing Steeled and spoke about his part in bringing the artwork to life. He shared, “It was cool to be up on the Kennedy Center stage, being able to talk about that part of the project and the creative collaborations behind it.”

Looking ahead, Felbein intends to continue balancing his passions for education, composition, and performance. He hopes to integrate his diverse musical interests into his future career, whether through teaching, composing for choirs and bands, or engaging in other creative collaborations, including film scoring and other projects with animation students.

Felbein’s journey from Illinois to the Kennedy Center is a testament to his talent, dedication, and the profound impact music can have when it connects deeply with personal and universal experiences. The GMCW currently has a call out for artwork from trans and nonbinary artists for the next Portraits Project. The selected artworks will be projected as part of a live performance in 2026, brought to life aurally by music and visually by GMCW’s 17th Street Dance Company.