Meet Michigan-based Musician Tony Manfredonia
TONY MANFREDONIA is a composer and musician based in Petoskey, Michigan. Visit his website: www.manfredoniamusic.com
You can also listen to Tony’s music on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, or Bandcamp.
CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION: Where are you from originally, and what brought you to Petoskey?
TONY MANFREDONIA: I'm originally from Philadelphia, PA. I was brought to Northern Michigan due to my wife! We met online when I was still in music school at Temple University. She is also Catholic. It wasn't even through a dating website — purely through finding each other's blogs! A Holy Spirit moment. We got engaged when I was a junior. I took my final exam, moved to Michigan, and we got married that July of 2016. Been here ever since!
Do you call yourself a Catholic artist? What is your personal mission as a Catholic working in the arts?
I do not call myself a "Catholic artist," as I find I'm simply a Catholic, first and foremost. My artistry as a musician and composer is simply a gift from God, much like any other God-given gift and talent. So much of my work is in the secular realm, so my personal mission is absolutely spreading the majesty of God through my music. I do my best to ensure that each piece of music or soundtrack feels transcendent, in that they might see God working through me or my music.
Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?
The Church is usually pretty great at allowing composers to make new music and bring it to a parish or parishioners. I've composed a few liturgical pieces that I've incorporated into the liturgies at my parish. The Church respects and encourages creativity, which is such a blessing for composers who want to create music, have people listen to it, and revise it accordingly.
Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?
For my journey, specifically, I've found the most support in a very small, very niche group of parishioners at my parish. They've become close friends and collaborators, depending on what it is that I'm working on! There are some online communities out there, but I haven't experienced them too much.
How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?
While the Church can be supportive, I do think that sometimes parishes can fall into the trap of "always music from the 70's and 80's," or "always music that is 100% Gregorian chant." There is a tendency toward comfort, and new music can sometimes be uncomfortable simply because it's new. I think there needs to be a balance. Not all new music needs to be terrifying. Nor does new music need to be irreverent!
I think a greater, widespread acceptance of a variety of styles of music — done with reverence — would be a huge benefit to artists.
How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?
Especially in music, so much classical concert music that's performed today was created by people of faith, for people of faith. We live in a world now where simply saying that you're Christian, let alone Catholic, is potential recipe for 'cancel culture.' It's really challenging! I think the artistic world would benefit from being more accepting of people of faith. So much wonderful art is being made (music or otherwise) by artists of faith. It would be a shame if that art is pushed aside or shoved down simply because it's sacred. I've seen it happen in the music industry, and so I have no doubt it's prevalent in other artistic disciplines.
Where in Michigan do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?
When not composing music, I'm the music director for St. Mary's in Charlevoix, MI. I play the organ and direct the choir. That's where my wife attends, too! I highly recommend this parish. Even if I weren't the music director, I'd still probably attend there. The mass is done with such reverence. Nothing feels rushed. Everything feels like it's done with the utmost passion for Christ.
I love the prayer ministry they have here. Led by Fr. Peter Wigton, many of the members involved are graduates or students of Encounter Ministries. It's a powerful, beautiful prayer group. They have prayed with me, prayed over me, and brought so much joy and passion into my prayer life. They're fantastic!
Where in Petoskey do you regularly find artistic fulfillment?
I personally find inspiration in my home studio. My wife Maria and I live in the countryside of Northern Michigan, about 5 minutes from Lake Michigan. So, the countryside mixed with a short drive to the beach lends to a wonderfully secluded and inspirational environment.
How have you found or built community as a Catholic artist in Petoskey?
I suppose writing music for the choir at St. Mary's has built a small community of people who know and listen to my music. It's been quite nice, actually, to live in a smaller community where everything is more close-knit. When I spend a lot of my time marketing and creating music for people purely over the internet, around the world, it's nice to be in the presence of a small, rural community.
What is your daily spiritual practice?
My daily spiritual practice involves prayer every morning, followed by either a plunge into ice water or a cold shower. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's a wonderfully spiritual experience. It puts me into my body and out of my thinking brain, and helps me reconnect with myself and with God. There is no thinking in cold water, but just existing as a child of God.
After dinner, my wife and I will pray the rosary, and I'll usually do some reflective prayer or scriptural reading at night.
What is your daily artistic practice?
I ensure that I have the same chunk of time blocked out every day (or most days of the week), uninterrupted. So, every "writing day," usually Tuesday through Saturday, I will compose or work on music from 7:30/8am to and through 1 or 2pm. The hours after that are networking, admin, or communication work. My most creative hours are in the morning, so I ensure that I maximize those hours. Unless there is an emergency, you will find my phone in another room, only to vibrate or make noise from certain contacts. The emphasis is on deep, uninterrupted work.
Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist. What happened, and what brought you the most joy?
There was a recent morning where I woke up, did my morning prayer/ice water routine, and simply wrote music in my typical cinematic, orchestral fashion until about 1:30pm. I had a good lunch outside on a beautiful day with my wife. Then did admin/communication/networking tasks from about 2:30 to 5pm. It was seamless. What brought me so much joy was simply being present. Being fully present in the activities and tasks I had to do, with no preoccupation other than what was right in front of my eyes.
How do you afford housing as an artist?
My wife and I own a home. We feel so grateful and so blessed, as the housing market has not been easy. We found this house right before there was a big boom in the market, with a lot of folks moving out of big cities due to COVID, finding their way to rural communities. Now, purchasing a house even in our area would be very difficult, especially regarding a down payment. We found this house at a very good time. It was a Holy Spirit moment. Admittedly, owning this home hasn't been a breeze, financially.
I work two full-time jobs: one, as an organist/music director, and on the other side of the coin, as a composer, which most recently has been more work hours than that of my organist position. My weeks are not light, and my schedule is incredibly tight. But, my goal as a husband was to be able to provide a comfortable home for my wife without the need for her to work for if/when we have children, God-willing. I will sacrifice free time if it means she can live comfortably in her own house!
How do you financially support yourself as an artist?
I have two primary sources of income, and two secondary sources of income. The first of which is my work as a composer, and I compose music mostly for video games as well as commissioned contemporary classical concert pieces.
The second primary source is my work as an organist/music director. The scheduling of both sources of income complement each other well, and I'm so grateful to have this work! Most of my time is spent here.
Secondary sources include private lessons in the realms of music composition, music theory, and orchestration. I also provide talks/presentations for colleges and high schools. In addition to that, I'm also a vocalist and often sing for weddings, funerals, or sometimes just standalone performances with my piano.
What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in Petoskey?
While Petoskey is a small city, I really recommend North Perk in downtown Petoskey. It's super quaint, often bustling, but simultaneously there are nooks to pull up a laptop or good book and get to work.
What are your top 3 pieces of advice for Catholic artists post-graduation?
1.) Get to know your community. While a lot of my work is done remotely for people around the world, I wouldn't have been able to purchase my house if it weren't for the local concert music commissions from ensembles and musicians.
2.) Be consistent. Consistency is like a snowball effect. One job leads to another, which leads to two more, which leads to four more, which leads to so many that you have to start saying "no" in order to not overload yourself. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Try not to expect too much too soon. Be patient, be consistent.
3.) Create as much as you can, and share as much as you can. Don't worry so much about making something "perfect." Nothing will be perfect, simply better than whatever you created last. Create, create, create, share, share, share. Creating and networking in a consistent fashion will almost always lead to results if you're putting in the time, effort, and patience.
