Inspired by the beauty and lore of lighthouses throughout the state—as well as their sheer number—University of Michigan assistant professor of music William Lucas launched the Michigan Lighthouse Landmark Legacy project, an artistic collaboration aimed at raising awareness and supporting preservation of the state’s beloved, historic buildings. The multimedia tribute to landmarks and lighthouses features Fort Gratiot’s own famed lighthouse. According to a recent article on the University of Michigan’s website, Bill Lucas’ pet project has evolved into the Landmark Legacy encompassing 15 composers made up of professors, students, and alumni. The Fort Gratiot Lighthouse was one of the first finished pieces and features a poem authored for the tune that is narrated between a musical symphony. The video was completed last year, but the project is picking up steam around the state. According to the article, “since 2014, Lucas, who plays trumpet, has worked with many U of M faculty, student and alumni composers to create more than 40 original fanfares for the lighthouses. So far, 20 of them have been recorded by the ‘Lighthouse Brass Quintet.’” The Michigan Lighthouse Landmark Legacy has now been split up into three phases to include pieces for lighthouses in the lower peninsula, fanfares celebrating the state’s physical landscapes like Isle Royal and Beaver Island for phase two, and phase three will do the offshore lights further north. Lucas said going forward he hopes, “ that the project would continue to be able to obtain donations and grants to commission and record fanfares for all 129 lighthouses in the state. In addition, while we already have fanfares for a few Michigan landmarks including Sleeping Bear Dunes, Tahquamenon Falls and the Porcupine Mountains, I’d love to explore that route as well.” To view the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse video and others that the group has completed, search MLLL Fanfares on Facebook.
