CYSO has been proud to present the Chicago premiere of various pieces at Symphony Orchestra’s Orchestra Hall concerts over the past few years, including Xhou Tian’s Transcend and Vivian Fung’s Concerto for Trumpet. This spring we’re even more excited to present a world premiere from celebrated composer Bernard Rands.
At our upcoming May 22 concert at Orchestra Hall, Symphony Orchestra will perform Rand’s new piece, AURA, commissioned by CYSO. Rands is winner of both a Pulitzer Prize in Music and GRAMMY award and was called “one of the foremost composers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries” by the Boston Globe.
In the program notes for AURA, Rands writes that the title “denotes a particular distinctive atmosphere and energy (intangible but real) that emanates from and surrounds an orchestra in its performance ritual.” Musicians everywhere know the feeling in the air when the orchestra takes on a living, breathing life of its own, creating something larger than just the sum of its parts.
Rands also writes that when considering how to compose for a youth orchestra commission, he decided “not to make unnecessary technical compromises but rather to challenge them as would be appropriate to a major symphony orchestra. Knowing their remarkable and impressive abilities, I know they will respond wonderfully as they do when playing standard repertory.”
We can’t wait to share the magic of AURA with you on May 22! Tickets and full program info available here.
