“Letters From the Front” is a unique project that takes letters sent home from the battle front and puts them to musical scores featuring four voices and a piano. Twelve letters spanning from the Revolutionary War through the Gulf War will be transcribed. Classical pianist and Illinois National Guard member Ian Gindes is the project’s Executive Producer. New York and Paris based composer Patrick Zimmerli will be taking the lead on composition.
The idea was born out of a series of broadcasts on Chicago’s WFMT radio station. “War Letters” was produced by the station for Memorial Day. Steve Robinson, retired WFMT General Manager and original producer of the “War Letters” project, approached Ian about setting some of the more moving portions of the letters to music.
Patrick had previously composed a piece based upon the life and poetry of a World War I Veteran, so he jumped at the chance to work on the “Letters From the Front” project with Ian.
Ian would like the songs to reflect an American sound inspired by the style of Aaron Copeland. The goal is to make music that can be appreciated by people who might not be classical music fans. They are planning for a full release in the summer of 2026 to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary.
We discuss some of the letters that will be featured including Continental Army Veteran James Davenport and Gulf War Veteran Col. Bill Vogel. Herman Gresik wrote a letter to his wife after learning the news that his daughter Mary Victoria had been born. Herman would die in a bombing raid on July 3rd, 1944, after sending the letter. He would never meet his daughter, but Ian was able to track her down and speak with her.
Listeners can provide financial support for the project by visiting their Patreon site.
TAKEAWAY: “That is what makes it so compelling. When your life is in danger and you don’t know if you are going to wake up tomorrow, you tend to write things that are very sincere.”