Sponsored by Luis and Clark
2016 marks the 100th birthday of the National Park Service. To join in the celebration, composers and performers, all affiliated with the Eastman School of Music, collaborated to create an inspirational tour of the United States National Parks. Seven performers premiered music written by eleven composers in some of our country’s greatest natural wonders. The inspiration for this tour came from flutist Emlyn Johnson and cellist Daniel Ketter who envisioned bringing together their love of the outdoors and their passion for music. Their vision came to fruition on July 31 as they played the first concert, fittingly, at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY.
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And lucky were the Luis and Clark violin, viola and cello who were destined to be on the journey. They played in the Smithsonian, Shenandoah National Park, the Washington Theatre in Washington, Virginia, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Locust Grove in Louisville, and in Washington State the Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Chapel Performance Space at the Good Shepherd Center and San Juan Island National Historical Park.
The Luis and Clark instruments were perfect for this tour, not just because they can handle climate extremes, but because they are sonorous and easily compliment the flute, clarinet, horn and percussion without being drowned out. The Luis and Clark were in perfect harmony with the other instruments. Imagine hiking in a forest or on a mountain and coming upon gorgeous music rising from the mist, or exploring a cave and hearing ethereal tones coming from the trail ahead.
The other musicians were Ellen Breakfield-Glick, clarinet; Lauren Becker, horn; Hanna Hurwitz, violin; Jeremy Potts, violin; Emily Cantrell, viola; and Colleen Bernstein, percussion. The composers and the pieces they wrote specifically for collaboration were Chris Chandler, The View From Here; Kevin Ernste, Interregnum; Ted Goldman, Tilk; Tonia Ko, Covers and Uncovers; Aristea Mellos, Everything Flowing; David Clay Mettens, Lauda for the High and Low Places; Jeff Myers, Wizard Island; Robert Morris, Birds Soaring over Mountain Paths; Daniel Pesca, From Noon to Noon; Adam Roberts, Filtered Light; Aaron Travers, Sanctuary.