Carmel Magazine

42 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 LOCALKNOWLEDGE John Wineglass Multi-Faceted Musician, Emmy Award Winner and Big City Transplant E veryone who spends any amount of time with John Wineglass comes to the same conclusion: "This guy is a true gentleman." That's due to his urbane manner, his engaging conver- sation and his innate knack for taking a genuine, delighted interest in everyone who crosses his path. Wineglass is one of the Monterey Peninsula's most accom- plished musicians—no small statement, considering the plethora of talented performers and composers who have chosen to call this area home. A native of Washington, DC, he holds a bachelor of music degree in music composition with a minor in viola per- formance from American University and a master's degree in music composition: film scoring for motion pictures, television and multi-media from New York University. He's been nominated for a total of seven Emmy Awards and is the recipient of three Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series, and three ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards. Wineglass has applied his superb talent and finely tuned ear to mastering the art of not only classical viola but also gospel and jazz piano. As a performer, he's played on five continents and for such world leaders as Mikhail Gorbachev and King Hussein of Jordan…and every American President since Ronald Reagan. "I even got to jam with President Bill Clinton," Wineglass says proudly. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Since relocating to the Peninsula from New York City in 2010, he's become more selec- tive in the television work he accepts, concentrating more on commissioned compositions and performance plus consulting to several worship groups up and down the West Coast, including Shoreline Church in Monterey and First Presbyterian Church of Salinas. No stranger to sacred music, he's been leading church groups since his mid-teens. All the accolades aside, what drives this man is love. Love of fam- ily, love of his fellow musicians and friends, and love of his newly adopt- ed home. John Wineglass is modest, self-effacing and unaffected, and his joy in living is contagious—as is his easy smile and ready laugh. Q: Was it always your intent to be a professional musician? A: No, I always had an ear for music. My mother decided to start me on lessons when she heard that I'd learned the "Moonlight Sonata" by ear as a child. Initially, I was an accounting major at American University. My minor was music, but I switched in my sophomore year. I settled on film and TV composition. After spending a summer interning with [iconic film composer] Jerry Goldsmith, I thought I might move to LA, but decided to try my hand at making my mark in New York City. I faxed my resumé to a blind number in response to an ad looking for a composer. That fax led to my working on the daytime soap "All My Children." My daughter was born the night I won my first Emmy for that show. My heart wasn't in accounting anyway. Q: Was the transition from New York to Carmel difficult? A: I'm a big city boy—bricks, mortar, sirens, etc.…My family and I moved to Schulte Road in Carmel Valley directly from New York City and it was…crickets. That took some getting used to. For the first two years I commuted to New York, driving straight to the stu- dio from JFK to work on TV shows. But I get it now. I draw inspira- tion from the environment, and that wasn't in the process before I lived here. I'm not a Boy Scout, but I do hike and enjoy the outdoors now. I'm a workaholic. In New York I was running full out—if I was- n't in a commercial studio I was in my home studio in the basement. Here, I've found a balance in life and with my family. Q: What are you working on now? A: I'm engaged on a commissioned piece for The Big Sur Land Trust. To work on it, I got to stay at Glen Deven Ranch for a month. That place is magical…on my first night there I started writing. I developed two major works there: the first is a sym- phonic work inspired by the environment and artistic culture of Big Sur. I'm considering the work of Carmel poet Robinson Jeffers as the narrative of this work. The second wave of inspiration came in the form of a one-movement violin rhapsody, inspired by the plight of the Ohlone tribe, the indigenous people who once walked that land. Also, I'm currently composing a string arrange- ment for Grammy-nominated gospel artist William McDowell. Recently, I got to write arrangements for Motown's first Christmas album in 25 years, featuring India.Arie, Smokey Robinson and Gregory Porter. It was released in late 2014. —Michael Chatfield

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