This week on Performance Oklahoma: The Norman Philharmonic’s inaugural concert “Meet the Composer” with Libby Larsen.
“Music exists in an infinity of sound. I think of all music as existing in the substance of the air itself. It is the composer’s task to order and make sense of sound, in time and space, to communicate something about being alive through music.” Those words belong to composer Libby Larsen who has also said this: “Music has been, and I hope always will be, about personal friendships and trust, and a shared respect for each other’s devotion to music as a way of living life.”
Taking inspiration from the energy and culture of the people of Norman, Oklahoma, and her long friendship with Richard Zielinski, American composer Libby Larsen joined the community’s efforts to celebrate the creation of a new chamber orchestra with the writing of a city anthem and symphony dedicated to the City of Norman.
The inaugural concert featured the world premiers of her new symphony Forward and the Norman anthem as well as her Fanfare for the Women and was given by the newly formed Norman Philharmonic on Sunday January 15th of 2012 at the Nancy O’Brian Performing Arts Center in Norman, Oklahoma. The program also offered works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Norman Dello Joio, Franz Joseph Haydn, and George Gershwin and featured trumpet soloist Karl Sievers, guest pianist Richard Dowling and the ensemble’s music director Richard Zielinski, conducting.
Tune in at 8:00 pm this Saturday, 11, 2013, on Classical 88.7-1!