A Lifetime of Music

Overview

Join us on an adventure through lifetimes of music spanning from some of the earliest recorded music through works by emerging composers of today.

Commissioned by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band for the 59th Presidential Inauguration, Illinois native Kimberly Archer’s Fanfare Politeia pays homage to the origins of democracy in the writings of Aristotle and Plato. Ron Nelson’s Medieval Suite takes inspiration from the organum, an early form of polyphonic music of the late Middle Ages, of Léonin and Pérotin, combining quotations of their most famous works with brilliant fanfares and sparkling percussion. Vietnamese American composer Viet Cuong’s nebulous Sound and Smoke derives from Goethe’s Faust — “Feeling is everything, words are mere sound and smoke” — and paints intriguing, abstract musical images through colorful orchestration and sublime harmonies, spinning out with a fast-paced toccata to bring the audience to their feet.

Outstanding middle school musicians from the Chicagoland area will join us on the second half of the program for our 19th annual Lifetime of Music performance featuring the music of Katahj Copley, James Barnes’ classic Yorkshire Ballad, and the comedic A+ March.

Program

Artists