Lawren will be joining us for the pre-concert talk on Saturday, but we checked in with her early to ask what we can expect from the piece.
Tell us about your last trip with FVSO. What was that experience like?
Ware: My last trip to visit with the FVSO was AMAZING! It was my first ever orchestral premiere and I was blown away by the kindness and hospitality of Kevin, Jamie, the FVSO, and the concert attendees. They truly made me feel like a celebrity and I thought that my heart would burst with joy and gratitude! And I can't forget to mention that the orchestra's performance of "The Moirai" was HOLY SMOKES INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK, we would argue that you ARE a celebrity! But please tell us about M31. What was your inspiration? What do you want people to feel when listening?
Ware: "M31" was a really fun piece for me to write. I went back and forth about the title of the piece but I knew that the composition would deal with the idea of "space" in some way. When I saw that Mazzoli's "Sinfonia for Orbiting Spheres" was programmed as well, a little lightbulb went off in my head and, in a Captain Kirk voice, whispered "Space! The final frontier!" (LOL. Kidding...kind of....) The work is named after the original catalog name for the Andromeda Galaxy (originally called "Messier 31" and then abbreviated to "M31") Andromeda popped into my head because my mother-in-law is a space and science enthusiast and LOVES to talk about Andromeda, haha. Andromeda or M31 is our closest galactic neighbor. While it is significantly larger than our galaxy (the Milky Way), much less is known about it. That unknown is what aided me in the composition of the work. There aren't many moments in the piece that I intended to concretely signify a certain sound or occurrence. My hope is for the listener to use the work as their own exploratory vessel (Trekkies, for you it might act as the Enterprise; for my Star Wars peeps, it might be the Millenium Falcon; or the Executor if you're leaning more towards the dark side...). Listen to the piece and decide for yourself the things that you are discovering as you traverse Andromeda. Did a space monster attack your ship? Did you discover a planet where aliens play jazz on extraterrestrial instruments? Did you narrowly survive a sudden meteor shower? I think you get the picture 😉! During the final seconds of the work, the orchestra crescendos, leading to a thrilling conclusion to the piece. This ending is representative of a spaceship's engines warming up to full power, preparing for a jump to lightspeed to continue on its exploratory journey of Andromeda.
Trekkies and the Millenium Falcon? OK! We're in! We hope you love working with us as much as we love working with you.
Ware: FVSO loves to premiere new music so it would be great to see what it is like from your perspective. I absolutely love and appreciate the FVSO's dedication to premiering new music and working with up and coming composers as well as established ones. Its dedication to new music is refreshing and, for me, personally, it's making dreams come true!
What else are you working on or what is coming up next for you?
Ware: I'm currently working on several projects! A few days after the premiere of M31, I'll be heading to New York (SUNY Brockport) for the premiere of my (our) piece, "Tea Leaves." This composition is a collaborative work between myself and soprano/poet Kaswanna Kanyinda made possible by Opera on Tap Rochester's Jay Red Koh Composer Residency (headed by Seiko Elmore). The work is a multi-movement sound cycle that explores the African Diaspora through the tea trade and addresses the importance of tea in Black culture throughout history. Additionally I am in the early stages of planning for a commission with members of the LunART festival and International Crane Foundation. Finally, on a non-composition related note, I am continuing to love teaching my wonderful piano and violin students (of my private studio, B. Ware Works)!
Thank you all for this opportunity to return to Appleton! Because of the FVSO, Appleton will always have a special place in my heart.
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