Spirited Away

Overview

Embark on a revitalizing spiritual journey in April with Spirited Away. It begins with Claude T. Smith’s Eternal Father, Strong to Save, the official hymn of the United States Navy, featuring colorful interplay and variations on the well-known tune. A musical hosanna to Dr. Eric Wilson, Director of Bands at Baylor University, Paul Dooley’s triptych Canticles showcases the composer’s rhythmic vitality, lyrical melodies, and harmonic colors in a series of playful dances and a rejuvenating prayer for winds. Joe Hisaishi’s vibrant score to Spirited Away, the tale of a girl trapped in the spirit world, is transformed into a dazzling suite for winds. Chamak, a new work by Indian American composer Reena Esmail, finds inspiration in the writing of Kabir and presents three movements based on traditional Hindustani ragas — a framework for improvisation and composition in Indian classical music. Yasuhide Ito’s stirring symphonic poem Gloriosa concludes the program, evoking the fervent prayers and suffering of early Christians in Japan with a fusion of Gregorian chant and Japanese folk music.

Program

Artists