I am delighted to announce that I was co-commissioned last summer to write an orchestral work as part of a new partnership between two of the most prestigious arts schools in the country – Juilliard in New York and Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. I am very proud that I was one of the first composers chosen for this exciting new initiative.
My piece, The People’s Awakening, is a call for unity and peace. There is so much conflict in the world these days, and through my music I keep trying to imagine ways for that dissonance to resolve into the harmony that we need so much. That’s really what this piece is about – a deep longing for people to find ways to live together in peace.
World Premiere – Interlochen Center for the Arts
The world premiere of The People’s Awakening will be performed by the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra.
Date: Friday, April 12, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. EST
Place: Corson Auditorium at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan
Tickets: Adults $17/Students $14 CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS
Streaming: Click here to watch the free live stream of the concert
The Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra will be under the baton of guest conductor Robert Boardman, Music Director and Conductor of the South Bend Youth Symphony Orchestras. The program will also include a performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. All proceeds from the concert benefit the Annette Basler Memorial Scholarship Fund.
New York Premiere – The Juilliard School
The New York premiere of The People’s Awakening will be performed by the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony with support from the Kayden Music Commissioning Program.
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 6 p.m. EST
Place: Peter Jay Tharp Theater, 155 W 65th St, New York, NY 10023
Tickets: Free but reservations required. CLICK HERE TO MAKE RESERVATIONS
Streaming: Click here to watch the free live stream of the concert
The New York premiere will be conducted by conductor Kalena Bovell, the assistant conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. The Panamanian-American conductor and poet made history in 2023 as the first Black woman to conduct an opera in Canada.
The Pre-College Symphony concert will also include performances of Stella Sung’s Loco-Motion, Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda’s Oboe Concertino, Op. 110 (featuring Irene Lee, oboe), and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88.
Juilliard & Interlochen Will Commission More New Works!
Juilliard recently announced that they received a substantial gift from one of their alumni, Jerold S. Kayden, and his wife, Stephanie, to establish the Kayden Music Commissioning Program at Juilliard Pre-College, which will fund eight to ten new works annually in perpetuity for the students in Juilliard’s Pre-College program (ages 8 – 18). Hurray!
Juilliard is working with Interlochen and other partners to build larger audiences for the composers and more artistic connections among the young musicians in the programs. Juilliard and Interlochen will co-commission 2 orchestral works per year for three years.
It is wonderful that this program will support more composers like me while providing musical challenges and diverse role models to music students in the early stages of their training.