Local Classical Featured Artist
In this playlist, we feature works by Augusta Read Thomas (a.k.a. “Gusty”) in honor of the world-premiere performances of “Toward a Secret Sky”, which happened here in Indianapolis in 2023! The Indianapolis Symphonic Choir presented this work, 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.
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 talk with host Salvador all about the world-premiere piece, her background, music, career, and much more on Classical Music Indy Streaming’s Local Classical channel.
Image credit: Anthony Barlich
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