BACKGROUND

Often do I think of the words of the poet Robert Frost: ‘Two roads diverged in the woods and I — I took the one less traveled, and that has made all the difference.'

At 46, in the middle of an international business career with a New York City bank, and after years with a petroleum company in Brussels, I went back to the aspiration of my childhood to pursue justice through music, a language without words that circumvents misunderstandings.

After reflecting on poverty and hate, I left my job as head of the Africa Department of a NYC bank and enrolled in the Western Michigan University Irving S. Gilmore School of Music to study music composition. My wife supported my choice as she had helped me realize that simplicity and empathy are the true core values. I reflected anew on the bike rides of my childhood, meandering from one First World War military cemetery to another — the fields of white crosses of Flanders Fields.

I concluded that we need new music projecting strength and respect and that the pillars of my work would be counterpoint and acoustic instrumentation. The first composition for large ensemble, “Of Barbed Wire and Red Roses” Op. 1b for large brass and timpani, was the result of reflections on civil wars that I had witnessed while traveling a decade for business. This Suite for brass was recognized with the Irving S. Gilmore Emerging Artist Award. Additional awards from the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo Arts Outreach Grant and the Pharmacia and Upjohn Foundation Grant, reinforced the choice to pursue music composition; to follow the road less traveled. . *** Besides the Concerto “Imagine New York” Op. 39 for piano, the larger instrumental or vocal works with intended social impact include: the Oratorio “Requiem for the Fallen” Op. 50 for soprano, choir, timpani and orchestra, inviting reflection on the losses of life due to war and violence; the uplifting Concerto for alto saxophone and strings “Springtime in Chicago” Op. 61; the Cantata “The Bells of Hope” Op. 63 inviting mutual respect and the end of all wars; and the largely percussive Concerto Grosso “The Chant of the Last Forest” Op. 64, for percussive & melodic left hand piano, percussion section and orchestra (The uncommon percussion instrumentation is described hereafter in the Works section). The Concerto Grosso is meant to encourage reflection and discussion on the responsibility for the eroding environment. . ***

As a child, I was not allowed to do music because our parents were still traumatized by the memories of WW II and because of the Cold War. Instead, I obtained a degree in Chemistry from the University of Brussels, served in the Belgian military, and worked several years for a European oil company. Then, I moved to the U.S. with my American bride and earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After more than a decade in NYC and Africa for a commercial bank, I joined the faculty of a university in Michigan to teach international business, finance and economics. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, I worked for the US government and was assigned to the oversight of some assistance and economic programs in Central Europe.

This broad international exposure led to reflection on the humanity binding us and to the conclusion that communications must include a broader content of empathy and inclusiveness. I reflected on the importance of art as a tool for mutual understanding and, at long last, after a decade in international banking, I enrolled in the Western Michigan University School of Music.

Over the upcoming decades, I composed several works focusing on social awareness and responsibility: The Oratorio ‘Requiem for the Fallen’ about all victims of wars; the ‘Organ Sonata’ about the “9-11” terrorist attacks; the Piano Concerto ‘Imagine New York’ about Freedom; the Alto Saxophone Concerto ’Springtime in Chicago’; the Cantata ‘Tears of the Earth’ on Native American poetry about respect; the larger version, the Cantata ‘The Bells of Hope’ with a christian prayer; the piano Toccata ‘Resolve & Pride’; the Concerto Grosso ‘The Chant of the Last Forest’, for l. h. piano, percussion and orchestra, about the eroding environment; and a recast of the piano pieces, Proclamation, Solemn Spring and the Toccata ‘Resolve & Pride’, as Op. 65, about peace and respect through assertiveness. . *** Following the 2019 Carnegie Hall (Zankel) premiere of the final version of the Oratorio ‘Requiem for the Fallen’, two additional performances took place in Moscow (in 2020, with American Embassy financing, and in 2021 as a concert for peace). In 2021 also, the short version of ‘Ave Maria’ was played at Saint Bechara Church, in Jubail, Lebanon. In 2022, the ‘Ave’ and the ‘Organ Sonata’ were replayed in Graz, Austria, during a concert for peace supported by the American Embassy. In 2023, the American Embassy in Moscow cosponsored a concert for peace at the Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the Ave Maria and the Organ Sonata opened the concert. Two decades earlier, in 2002, the Organ Sonata had premiered at the First United Methodist Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in memory of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania and northern Virginia. The Organ Sonata was also played in 2004 at the Cathedral of Lectoure, France, in remembrance of 9-11. .  *** Other vocal works played in concert include the song cycle ‘Detours of Love’ for soprano and piano, the duets ‘Happiness’ for soprano, mezzo and piano, the song cycle ‘Yulia’ for soprano and string quartet and ‘Come Ye Who Love’ for soprano, horn and piano, commissioned by Michigan State University. The “Horn Call’ review of Come Ye Who Love reads: Emmanuel Dubois’ contribution is a hauntingly beautiful work with surprises. The moody opening solo is an extended cantabile, which is then joined by the voice in an interweaving tapestry [...]