Redemption Song

From the first strains of the trumpet fanfare in “American Hero” the memory of Sept. 11, 2001 comes rushing back for Composer Greg Sylvester: The towers and their cataclysmic tumble, along with the burst of patriotism in the days that followed, a feeling honed by the sharp edge of sorrow.

Ten years later, that clear, blue day is still etched in Sylvester’s memory.

“I don’t think anything has changed. I think I still feel as passionate about this whole thing as I did 10 years ago, as if it happened yesterday,” Sylvester said. “Just doing this interview is bringing those feelings right back to me.”

Sylvester was in his second class of the day —health class — when the first plane hit the World Trade Center in New York City. Astonished teachers abandoned their class plans and turned on the television. The tenth-grader and his classmates watched in horror as the second plane hit, leaving little doubt that the impacts were intentional.

Sylvester saw the ghastly scene played out over and over again in each class, each class that is, except band.

“Instead of watching TV like all the other classes were doing they insisted that we play music, to ease us through. That was a really inspirational moment,” Sylvester said. “The band teachers told us ‘We are going to play, this is what band is all about.’”

That night, Sylvester went home and pulled out a song he’d been working on. By that time, Sylvester had been writing songs since he was 10 years old. This song was of a higher order, however: It was the second piece Sylvester had written for a full concert band.

The first was a song called “Vast America,” which Sylvester completed while a still a junior high student at Eagle Ridge.

“I’d written it on piano and I thought it would be really neat to hear it as a whole band. Little did I know that there was a lot of research that had to be done to be able to write for a whole band because you have instruments that transpose to different keys and stuff — some that can’t play so high, can’t play so low,” Sylvester recalled.

That was just a year before “American Hero,” a song Sylvester is known for to this day. Contrary to what many assume, the song was not originally intended as a memorial to Sept. 11.  In fact, it was inspired by the Flying Cloud airshow where Sylvester volunteered for three days.  While working the show, he spoke to World War II veterans about their experiences.

“It was the most patriotic point in my life. “(The veterans) talked about how they lost their friends,” Sylvester said. “You can hear that in the piece: In the beginning it’s bombastic, utter fanfare, and then in the middle part you get to a solemn section. Those two parts were written before 9-11.”

Until that fateful day in 2001, Sylvester intended to end the piece on a solemn, meditative note. He changed his mind after the reflecting on the day’s events — the people fleeing the falling rubble and the fire fighters and police officers struggling to unearth the victims. Sylvester set to work on the piece’s final fanfare.

“I wanted a rising spirit to the end the piece,” Sylvester said.

He finished "American Hero" in December, when he showed the draft to his band director. Impressed, his instructor immediately slated a performance of the piece for the spring concert at BHS.

Sylvester can still vividly recall the debut of “American Hero.”

“The audience reaction was strong, mixed emotion. They felt in that piece what I felt — that we’re going to rise to the occasion, but also a sense of tragedy. I did get the point across,” Sylvester said. “That meant a lot to me as a little tenth grader. I wasn’t sure I could convey the feeling through the piece.”

Among those in the audience was Jerry Luckhardt, the director of the University of Minnesota’s marching band. Luckhardt told Sylvester he would like to use the song during a performance in 2002, around the one year anniversary of Sept. 11. The band was scheduled to play a pre-game show for the Gophers and a Vikings half-time show.  

Ultimately, the Gophers played “American Hero” before thousands of fans at the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome.

“I still get asked about it, to this day. People still remember 10 years later,”  Sylvester said.

Nowadays, Sylvester often teaches students who are too young to remember the attacks directly. He is a music instructor at two elementary schools — Sioux Trail and Hidden Valley. He will also be teaching at the high school this year.

He still composes music, though he opted out of a full-time career in the music business, in spite of his early success. So far, no professional recording of his signature song exists, though he hopes to one day make a compilation album of all the band pieces he has written.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever have another composition like 'American Hero,' especially one that will reach out to so many people in such and important way. Frankly, I never ever want another event like that to happen, of course, but this is something that will definitely live on with me for the rest of my life,” Sylvester said. “It really changed my life and not just because of the song. It’s vivid in my memory. It will live with me forever.”

Read more accounts about the impact of 9/11:

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Lakeville: Lakeville VFW Post Manager's Wife Working at Pentagon on Sept. 11
Maple Grove: 9/11: A Day of Respect for Maple Grove Resident
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Minnetonka: 9/11 Memories From a Former New Yorker
Mendota Heights: Retired Mendota Heights Pilot Recalls ‘Paradigm Shift’
Northfield:
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Oakdale: Terror and Joy Came Together for Oakdale Family
Oakdale: Post-9/11 World Meant Three Years Away From Family for Local Guardsman
Plymouth:
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Rosemount:


Roseville:
Shakopee:
Southwest Minneapolis:
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St. Michael:
St. Michael:
Stillwater:
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