We are excited to share this
performance with you from our April 2022 concert at the Fox Cities Performing
Arts Center. Music Director Dr. Kevin Suetterlin leads the full Fox Valley
Symphony Orchestra in their season finale, which started with this amazing
piece.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!
"Fòs Nou" is a Haitian Creole title that translates to "Our Strength". This composition by Christopher Ducasse for the Full orchestra was commissioned by Dr. Kevin Suetterlin and April Ann Brock as a gift to the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, in honor of Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma.
Fòs Nou is a mixture of western
European classical music and Haitian Folk Rhythm. The core rhythm of Fòs nou is
the "Yanvalou". Yanvalou, a Rhythm, and Dance of Haiti get its name
after its associated movements. It is one of the most important rhythms in
Haitian folklore, it is sometimes linked to "Knowledge",
"Patience", "Healing" and "Strength".
With a combination of epic sound and
Yanvalou, Fòs Nou expresses the strength and power that we can demonstrate when
we work together. All the good we can bring to the world, and all the greatness
that we can achieve. Inspired by the National Mantra of The Republic of Haiti
which says "L'union fait la force" (Unity is Strength).
ABOUT CHRISTOPHER
DUCASSE:
A native of Port-au-Prince Haiti,
Christopher attended Holy Trinity Music School where he learned voice, violin,
and piano. Christopher became a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Holy
Trinity in 2007 and conducted their main choir "Les Petits Chanteurs"
for three years beginning in 2011. He was a BLUME HAITI Scholar in the Haitian
student exchange program at Lawrence University in 2015, and in 2017 he joined
Silver Lake College of the Holy Family to get a Bachelor in Choral in Music
Education. Christopher is currently getting a master’s in music in Choral
Conducting at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Christopher was the Winner of the WCDA
Conducting Competition in 2018. He has also composed vocal and instrumental
pieces that have been performed by various groups, most notably Petits
Chanteurs and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Holy Trinity Music School, the
Lawrence University Cello Ensemble, and the Silver Lake College of the Holy
Family Chorale. Christopher sings baritone, in addition, to play piano and
violin, and does some photography as a hobby.
Learn more at his website: https://www.christopherducasse.com/home
