Local Classical Featured Artist – 04/17/23 – 04/30/23
In this week’s playlist, we feature works by Augusta Read Thomas (a.k.a. “Gusty”) in honor of the performances of her world-premiere piece, “Toward a Secret Sky”, happening on April 28th and 29th here in Indianapolis! The Indianapolis Symphonic Choir is presenting this commission and is the third major commission for IndyChoir in 20 years, following Kyle Gann’s “Transcendental Sonnets” in 2002, and Mohammed Fairouz’s “Zabur” in 2014, which the Choir subsequently performed at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall and recorded via Naxos Records. Based on the beautiful texts of Rumi in the translations by Coleman Barks, “Toward A Secret Sky” is about the profound beauty and empathy of love and will be paired with Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria.” This new choral-orchestral masterwork was commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir in 2020 as part of the organization’s mission to create and perform new choral masterworks and features the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. We are all excited to hear the premiere and you get your tickets by clicking here.
Augusta is a University Professor of Composition in Music and the College at The University of Chicago and she was the Mead Composer-in-Residence for Pierre Boulez and Daniel Barenboim at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1997 through 2006. In 2007, her Astral Canticle was one of the two finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in Music. The “Colors of Love” CD by Chanticleer, which features two of Thomas’ compositions, won a Grammy award. Thomas is a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Augusta is the recipient of numerous accolades and her works have been performed all around the world. Not only is she one of the most active composers in the world, but she is a long-standing, exemplary citizen with an extensive history of being deeply committed to her community. We’ll hear Gusty discuss with host Salvador all about the upcoming world-premiere piece, her background, music, career, and much more when you connect to Classical Music Indy Streaming’s Local Classical channel.
Image credit: Anthony Barlich
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