Earth Song by composer Frank Ticheli is a highlight of our winter 2019 program.

Ticheli writes regarding his work:

“Earth Song is one of only a few works that I have composed without a commission. Instead, it sprung out of a personal need during a time when so many in this country, including myself, were growing disillusioned with the war in Iraq. I felt a strong impulse to create something that would express my own personal longing for peace. It was this longing which engendered the poem’s creation. I knew I had to write the poem myself, partly because it is not just a poem, but a prayer, a plea, a wish—a bid to find inner peace in a world that seems eternally bent on war and hatred. But also, the poem is a steadfast declaration of the power of music to heal. In the end, the speaker in the poem discovers that, through music, he is the embodiment of hope, peace, the song within the Song.”

Ticheli adapted the wind ensemble edition of Earth Song from his own choral setting. Musical content for the piece originates in a previous composition of Ticheli’s entitled Sanctuary, which the Northshore Concert Band performed last season. The poem the composer wrote and set to music is as follows:

Sing, Be, Live, See…
This dark stormy hour, The wind, it stirs. The scorched earth cries out in vain:
O war and power, You blind and blur. The torn heart cries out in pain.
But music and singing Have been my refuge, And music and singing Shall be my light.
A light of song Shining strong: Alleluia! Through darkness, pain and strife, I’ll Sing, Be, Live, See…

Last season, we contacted Mr. Ticheli and asked him to share with us his musical influences and inspirations and words of advice that he has for young musicians. You can read that interview here.

Please join us on Sunday, February 10, 2019 at 3:00 pm at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University; 50 Arts Circle Drive in Evanston, Illinois for Travels Abroad conducted by Artistic Director Mallory Thompson.

Ticket Information: Individual concert tickets are $20 each, seniors $15, students/children $10.

To make these unforgettable performances accessible for music lovers of all ages we offer special group rates to groups of 10 or more. Call us at 847-432-2263 or email info@northshoreband.org to customize your group ticket package today!

Tickets are available in advance or at the box office on the day of the concert. The box office opens at 2:00 pm on the day of the concert.

For More Information: Visit www.northshoreband.org or call (847) 432-2263.