Symphony Tacoma will present a “musical collage” of original works by local students in a new composition entitled Eternal Light. Inspired by Lux Aeterna, a movement in Mozart’s Requiem that expresses words of comfort and hope, this production will premiere on Symphony Tacoma’s YouTube channel at 7:30 pm on Saturday, February 6, 2021. Preceding the premiere will be a Facebook Live conversation with the creative team facilitated by Symphony Tacoma Music Director Sarah Ioannides at 6:30 pm.
Over the summer, thirteen local students ranging in age from 10 to 17 accepted Symphony Tacoma’s invitation to create original music, lyrics, drawings and poetry that reflected their interpretation of “eternal light.” Ioannides, the project’s producer, has taken these submissions and weaved them into a new audio and visual composition to be performed and recorded by the youth who submitted as well as participants from Tacoma Youth Chorus, University Place Presbyterian Church’s Alleluia Singers (children’s choir) and Symphony Tacoma musicians.
“As Symphony Tacoma finds new ways to be creative and share great music, we have brought the students’ ideas together into one message of future hope and happiness. The final works are upbeat and modern, musical and expressive!” says Ioannides.
The production consists of two connected parts. The first part is a collage of the submitted music, visuals and lyrics, reworked and reproduced with the students. The segment concludes with a song by Keianna South (age 14) with accompaniment by Hudson Pierce (age 10) that intermingles many of the other submissions. Part two spotlights the talents of three students in a composition entitled Undaunted: composition by Kevin Kernie (age 17), Growth, a poem by Holly Pierce (age 15), and visuals of new paintings and sketches by Audrey Hartman (age 12) inspired by Kernie’s and Pierce’s submissions.
Collaborating with Ioannides on the project are music producers Kim Scharnberg and Will Scharnberg who orchestrated and arranged parts for eight Symphony Tacoma musicians for Undaunted as well as editing and mixing various instrumental and vocal submissions. Filmmaker Fernanda Lamuño Cavanas of Fernanda Films created the video production.
“We hope this special project will bring joy to the hearts of many during these difficult times,” says Ioannides.
