Concert D: To the End in Songs
Program:
To the End in Songs by Peter Relph
The Stranger Among You: Songs of Exile and Home by Jodi French
I’ve Known Rivers (Langston Hughes)
The Road to Drumleman (Willie Mitchell); Shelley Cox-Thornhill, mezzo soprano
Dark Waters (instrumental)
Mother of Exiles (Emma Lazarus, from Statue of Liberty); Christopher Nomura, baritone; Jennifer Matsuura, soprano
Legend of Leaving (Lawson Inada and The Retired Emperor Sutoku, r. 1124-1141); solo for Christopher Nomura, baritone
The Stranger Among You (Traditional Scottish blessing)
The Same Stream of Life (Rabindranath Tagore)
As part of this year’s James M Collier New Works Festival, composers Peter Relph and Jodi French explore the idea of transformation from discord into harmony in two commissioned premieres. The text of Relph’s To the End in Songs moves from a state of searching restlessness towards a state of peace. Jodi French’s The Stranger Among You is an exploration of home and belonging.
French’s work is inspired by Oregon Poet Laureate Lawson Inada. Both works are set for choir and orchestra and will feature internationally-renowned baritone soloist Christopheren Nomura. Both composers will be available for a brief Q & A following the concert.