College of Liberal Arts
Student Spotlight: Seamus Knight
Kat Reichert, CLA Public Information OfficeAugust 20, 2025cla-pio@alaska.edu
At the UAF College of Liberal Arts, we believe in the power of experiential learning—and one of our students brought that belief to life this summer through Composing in the Wilderness, a nationally recognized artist residency. Music and theatre student Seamus Knight was selected from an international pool to spend two weeks in Denali National Park, where he composed an original chamber piece inspired by ĐÓ°Épro’s wild landscape.
With support from CLA faculty and URSA funding, Seamus immersed himself in the terrain, recorded field sounds, collaborated with fellow composers, and ultimately saw his piece performed live by the renowned ensemble CORVUS. His experience reminds us that exploration—academic, artistic, or literal—can lead to transformative growth and community.
Can you walk us through what the Composing in the Wilderness experience was like for you—from Denali to the final performance? What was it like to hear your piece performed live at the end?
The Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, in partnership with Denali National Park and ĐÓ°Épro Geographic, hosts Composing in the Wilderness every year. The program gives eight composers of various styles the opportunity of a lifetime: to take in the grandeur of the park alongside expert guides, write a 7-minute quartet about their experience, and have everyone's pieces premiered by the ensemble CORVUS at UAF and in the park’s visitor center. Composer, educator and wilderness explorer Stephen Lias is the founder of this program and has run it every year since 2012.
Our two-week-long experience was divided into three phases: exploring, composing and rehearsing/performing. Phase one began when our group assembled with Stephen at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center. Then we were all whisked to Denali National Park to embark on our exploration. In three days, we covered 16 miles, slowly examining the terrain, the flora and fauna. The scenery was incredible, and some of the wildlife encounters were tender and memorable. We were a social and upbeat group. There was a place for all 12 of us (eight composers, Stephen, and our three guides), and I learned things about music and sound ecology from each and every person there.
On our first night as a group, the eight of us randomly picked four instruments out of a hat. We would write a 7-minute work in any style, which CORVUS would learn and rehearse in only three days. I was randomly assigned percussion (Joe Bergen), violin (Andie Tanning), flute (Katie Cox), and alto saxophone/bass clarinet (Alex LoRe). Ironically, I play cello in UAF’s Northern Lights String Orchestra under CORVUS’s cellist, Charly Akert, and I was the only musician who did not draw cello as one of my instruments. I wasn’t even surprised. I had a sense that fate might throw me this curveball—especially as I had never really written for woodwinds before this.
Phase two was the composing phase: three days of intense concentration and all-nighters, where we had comfortable lodging and food provided at the gorgeous Denali Education Center. Our only task was to hunker down and write the piece; I can’t think of any other time in my life my only job has been to write music for 72 hours. My mind exploded. My song became an array of loud emotions and disharmony becoming unity—unification of four disparate voices.
I named what I wrote Right Now You Are. CORVUS understood it almost instantly. All they needed were a few formatting adjustments, and once I did that, the score belonged to them. I was suddenly hearing potentialities in a song I had written that I had never considered! They were playing with voice exchanges and moments of synchronicity that amazed me. This was the first time musicians other than myself (and a few friends I’d thrust my microphone in front of) had played my original music.
What were some of your favorite or most impactful moments during the program?
Not only was Stephen extremely knowledgeable about the park, but we also had the insight of ĐÓ°Épro Geographic guide Cassidy Goering for all three days. She cooked for us and made sure we were briefed on some of the dangers we might encounter on our walks. We were also visited by the ethereal David Betchkal, a soundscape specialist from the park, who taught us about the sound profile of rivers (a bell curve!) and the “natural amphitheaters” (Davyd’s words) of the space between mountains, and how sound travels differently depending on the terrain. He discussed the effects of human noise pollution on “quietude” and showed us the amplitudes and sound profiles of completely undisturbed wilderness.
Cassidy and David were so willing to mimic the sounds of animal calls—I admired how quickly they could emulate the different calls of the ground squirrel or chickadee. Paul Ollig, chief of interpretation and investigation, shared a lot with us about the history of dinosaurs in the region—some of whom still live in the park today.
What was it like working alongside the other composers? Was there any collaboration, or was everyone creating independently?
I’m so glad you asked this! So, obviously, I’m also a film major. While in the field, I spent a lot of time recording audio, photo and video of my favorite places we visited—753 photos and videos, and about 49 different field recordings. A lot of the recordings were developed alongside the other artists during our evening visits to the Teklanika River by our field camp.
Two of the other musicians, JD Fuller and Moses Kington-Walberg, wound up incorporating some of my video work as a projected backdrop for their performances. JD looped and glitched together some gorgeous footage of the and in the braided river being struck by raindrops. Moses asked me to add effects and crossfade a 30-second loop of the braided river into itself for seven minutes. Then I animated his gorgeous visual score to flow over the braided river; as the musicians performed the piece, the audience could the progression of the score animated in a constant, gradually changing flow.
How did being immersed in nature influence your composition? Did anything specific in the environment spark ideas?
Well, I thought a lot about stewardship and about how much I admire the park employees who love ĐÓ°Épro and Denali so much. It was an honor to meet some of the people who collect data about the changing landscape, animal populations and well-being of the environment.
We are at a beautiful and critical point in human history, where it is so urgent that we go out and value every blade of grass, every mosquito, every oxygen molecule, and it’s more important than ever that we continue monitoring our impact on the environment.
We still have so much to learn. The main impetus for my composition was my feeling that I am being called to action: to add my voice to the growing number of people concerned about the preservation of this data, and to advocate for the hundreds of park employees who manage it.
Do you see yourself doing something like this again in the future—or even pursuing composing professionally?
Absolutely! Stephen runs programs like this all over the country—some of them more rigorous and physically demanding than this one. I would love to push my mountaineering capabilities even further.
As for composing professionally, there’s no question. It’d be the dream to compose professionally.
How did you first hear about this opportunity? Did you have any help from faculty or mentors at UAF when applying, or was it something you pursued on your own?
I did have help from faculty throughout the process! Two UAF music faculty are former students of Stephen Lias: building director Scott Hansen and professor of theory, ear training and composition Dr. Sarah McConnell.
Dr. McConnell encouraged all her theory students to attend Stephen’s lecture about the program in the McGowan Room in fall 2024. I went—and knew for sure I had to apply. Dr. McConnell celebrated my acceptance to the program with me, then eagerly stepped in as my faculty mentor during the grant application process. I would not have been able to receive the URSA and ASUAF grants I was awarded without her guidance and enthusiasm.
Scott was Stephen’s graduate assistant in college, and he plays an integral role in Composing in the Wilderness. Composers who do this program get to walk away with high-quality video and audio recordings of CORVUS performing their compositions. Scott is the one operating the cameras and elaborately assembling microphones for those videos. So he knows the program intimately and, once I knew I wanted to apply, he helped me anticipate what Stephen might be looking for in an applicant.
How has your time in UAF’s music department (and maybe theatre/film as well) helped prepare you for this experience?
On the one hand, I wouldn’t have known what I was doing at all if it weren’t for my time at UAF. Prior to UAF, I was an entirely self-taught musician, and I feel lucky to have been accepted into the music program. That’s not to say I wasn’t a musician before UAF—but there’s no way I could have written a score decipherable to human musicians (rather than a computer) prior to my studies here. An old cello instructor used to say my music could only be enjoyed by robots; I like to think that now, both robots and humans can enjoy my music.
On the other hand, nothing is like this experience, and there’s no preparing for it—except a lifetime of being an enthusiastic mountaineer who also loves composing music for chamber ensemble.
What advice would you give to other UAF students—especially those in the arts—who might be nervous or unsure about applying for programs like this?
I mean, this was a group of very experienced composers, which included band teachers, music school administrators—even a college professor of music—so I was definitely out of my depth in a lot of their conversations. But that didn’t matter. Every single one of us was there to learn from one another. If you find a program that blends art or STEM with outdoor leadership, you're likely to find the participants are extremely open-minded.
Also, as a musician, it didn’t matter to anyone that I was less experienced than they were, because I loved it and I was so happy to be there. We had endless things to talk about because they were interested in my life and who I’m becoming, just like I was.
For example, it was an absolutely indispensable experience that my first draft of my piece Right Now You Are needed a lot of revisions—and quickly, as the musicians only had three days to rehearse. So, on the first day of the third phase (rehearsal/performance), while every other composer celebrated over rhubarb crisp the completion of their scores, Stephen hung back with me and quietly explained things I had never learned before about writing music. From his patient pedagogy, the impossible song I had written became possible. It took me hours, but for the rest of my life, I’ll know these conventions.
Academics and teachers only ever expect you to be completely honest about where you’re at—they’ll respect your journey so long as you’re willing to admit what you don’t know and listen. In fact, it would have been a waste of my time—and the musicians’—if I had been disingenuous about my capabilities. I came to realize that’s something these programs look for in a candidate.
I think you have to take every opportunity you’re given to throw yourself in the deep end. It makes for an invigorating education and strengthens you for your future.
That willingness to leap into the deep end—to take risks, to learn honestly, and to grow through experience—is exactly what makes Seamus’s story so impactful. It's a powerful example of how learning expands when it moves beyond the classroom. By combining art, ecology and adventure, he created something truly original while also finding new confidence and community.
Whether you're a musician, writer or scientist, there’s room at UAF to build your own path. Stay tuned as we continue spotlighting our students who are making big things happen, one bold opportunity at a time.
Inspired by Seamus’s journey? You can help create more opportunities like this by supporting students in the UAF Department of Music or the Department of Theatre and Film. Your gift—no matter the size—can help fund travel, equipment, professional development and the kind of life-changing experiences that shape bold, creative futures.
