Five Questions with Mizzou Composer Dean Wibe
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 Dean Wibe’s in the shadow of a reflection for brass trio on November 19, 2026—the first Live at The Sheldon concert of the 2026/27 season.
Here, Wibe talks about the world premiere of in the shadow of a reflection.
Learn more about the November 19 Live at The Sheldon concert here.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What is your musical history? How has it influenced your voice so far as a composer?
I have spent the majority of my musical life as a cellist. I began playing cello in the public school classroom and went on to study cello performance in college. In my undergraduate degree, I was intrigued by modern music, and I began playing more contemporary music. I went to Mizzou to study cello performance and to play in the new music ensemble there. While working with student composers, I was very inspired and felt the urge to write my own music.
Tell us about your composition process.
My compositional process typically involves an obsession with a particular sound or idea. My music is often an elaboration of this single idea, or is creating an environment for the idea to exist in. I enjoy improvising throughout my compositional process, as well as studying the work of other composers.
Tell us about your piece, which will receive its world premiere at the November 19 Live at The Sheldon chamber music concert.
I chose the title in the shadow of a reflection because my piece borrows material from other pieces that will be performed at the concert—particularly Steven Franklin’s Trumpet Sonata and Juraj Filas’s Trombone sonata. I took small chunks of motivic material from these works and used them as a foundation for writing my piece. One of the predominant techniques in this piece is the use of the sostenuto pedal in the piano, which allows for sympathetic vibration of specific strings. Specific strings vibrate with harmonies borrowed from Franklin and Filas, serving as a “reflection” of the music played before my piece in the concert.
What should audiences listen for in your piece? What do you hope they take away from listening?
The audience should listen for small musical ideas and harmonies that have been taken from the pieces played before. The material is transformed and put into a very different context from the sonatas, but it is still recognizable. Some of these ideas are heard in the resonance of the piano- listen closely in the pauses where the piano rings. Audiences should also listen for the various contrasting characters that make up the piece; there are fast switches between extreme intensity and dissonance and more serene melodic music.
This performance is a result of the collaboration between the SLSO and the Mizzou New Music Initiative, connecting the orchestra to rising composers’ voices. What does the experience of having professional musicians perform your music mean to you? What do you anticipate learning or taking away from the experience?
I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to work with musicians from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. In particular, writing chamber music for specific players is a special collaboration because I can write music that is tailored to their interests and abilities. Steven, Jonathan, and Peter have been wonderful to collaborate with; their feedback and input has greatly shaped the piece I wrote for them to play.
Eric Dundon is the SLSO’s Public Relations Director.
