Five Questions with Mizzou Composer Henry Rusten
By Eric Dundon
When St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians present chamber music as part of the SLSO’s Live at The Sheldon series, they’re given artistic control of the program and perform a wide range of repertoire not generally heard on classical programs. This also includes chamber music by rising composers at the University of Missouri, part of the orchestra’s long-running collaboration with the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI)—a program of the university that supports emerging composers.
On most Live at The Sheldon programs this season, SLSO musicians will give the world premiere performances of MNMI composers’ works, including Henry Rusten’s Fuse on December 4.
A Missouri native, Rusten began composing music in high school, when in 2022 he won the High School Orchestral category winner in MNMI’s statewide Missouri Composers Project for his composition Themes of Imagination. He hopes to write music for TV, film, and video games.
Here, he talks about the world premiere of Fuse.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
SLSO audiences first met you through your music in the 2024/25 season. A string quartet gave the world premiere of your Paradigm Shift at a Live at The Sheldon chamber music concert. How have you grown or changed as an artist since then?
Since my string quartet’s premiere, I have had the opportunity to study under the incredible faculty at the University of Missouri School of Music for another year. Also, having had the experience of working with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians in this setting previously has shaped the way I approached this second collaboration project.
Tell us about your piece Fuse, which will receive its world premiere at the December 4 Live at The Sheldon chamber music concert.
My piece’s title, Fuse, refers to two different aspects of the work. The word fuse can refer to how certain melodic lines start with one instrument, then other instruments join in and “fuse” together in a unison melodic line. The word fuse can also refer to how high energy sections are abruptly turned into slower low energy sections like how an electrical fuse is used shut down an electrical device to prevent damage when too much electricity is flowing through it. Altogether, Fuse takes the listener on a journey ranging from slow lush harmonies to fast strident dissonances with many energy fluctuations throughout its five-minute duration.
How did you go about creating a piece for wind quintet compared to your earlier string quartet piece? How did your musical history influence how you composed for winds?
The compositional process of a wind quintet and string quartet are extremely different. The main difference is that for the wind quintet a composer must take into account the characteristics of each instrument in different ranges. The different string instruments for the most part have the same qualities and dynamic capabilities through the instrument’s entire range. For wind instruments, however, there are certain part of the instrument’s range that create louder and harsher qualities than others. You must take these registral characteristics into account when trying to balance the five instruments in a convincing way.
What should audiences listen for in your piece? What do you hope they take away from listening?
The audience should listen to the two different uses of “fuse” I put in the piece—how some melodic lines begin with a single instrument, and then other instruments join in, and the sudden transitions from high-energy sections to slower, low-energy parts.
This will be your second premiere with SLSO musicians. What has working with SLSO musicians meant to you? Did working with SLSO musicians for the March 2025 premiere change how you approached creating your most recent work?
Working with the SLSO musicians has been an incredible opportunity that I am incredibly thankful to have for the second time. Working with professional musicians has allowed me to gain experience in collaborating with professionals as well as further my musical portfolio. During my first collaboration with the SLSO musicians back in March, the musicians provided extremely helpful feedback during the rehearsal process that I was able to take into account during the composition of this new wind quintet.
Eric Dundon is the SLSO’s Public Relations Director.
