For Track 7, "No Progress Without Loss, every new beginning ...", the speakers are Blake Buehler, Alexis Burson, Chandler Klotz,
Caitlin Roberson, Rachel Shealy, Miranda Thomas, and Adib Young.
Audio Recording Engineer: Martin Aigner
Recorded at: Furman University, Daniel Recital Hall
The commission of “Heloha Okchamali” was made possible by the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program, with generous funding provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Anastasia Christofakis is supported in part by funding from the Furman University Research and Professional Growth Grant.
Elizabeth G. Hill is supported in part by funding from the Montgomery County Government and the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County.
Headshot Photo: Emory Hensley
Graphic Design: Leanne Koonce
Cover Image: ©noppharat, AdobeStock license #181589006
About the Works:
Be Still My Child by Anthony R. Green
Preface from the composer: “Wanting to work with lullaby as a genre and an inspirational source, I immediately used the Meraki Clarinet and Piano Duo Consortium to take advantage of the various colors of both instruments, thinking about how to incorporate them in the context of pieces built upon the lullaby idea. The resulting work is a journey around the world in 6 short works that, in some way or another, pay respect to the original source lullaby, but deviate from the original to create concert pieces that function cohesively. One of the most fascinating aspects of composing this work was the research process; I was exposed to quite a number of lullabies from around the world and exposed to cultural problems associated with globalizing these magnificent tunes. While I could not use all of the songs I found and loved in this work, I hope to use this research to create future lullaby works for various instruments. The selection of lullabies for this collection was primarily made because of deep, personal connections to the countries from where the lullabies are derived. Thusly, this work is also a rather intimate examination of my own life in relation to traveling experiences, living experiences, and cultural connections. My deepest gratitude to Elizabeth Hill and Anastasia Christofakis of Meraki for working diligently on the consortium, as well as the interpretation of this piece.” - Anthony R. Green
No Progress Without Loss, every new beginning… by Jamie ‘Wind’ Whitmarsh
Whitmarsh, an Oklahoma native, describes this piece as “the music of nostalgia, the music of nature within the confines of an expanding nation.” Throughout the piece, the performers, and audience, are asked to ponder and voice their hopes, dreams, and fears.
Heloha Okchamali (Blue Thunder) by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate
Preface from the composer: “Heloha Okchamali (Blue Thunder) is a work composed about my son, Heloha, which means Thunder in the Chickasaw language. His favorite color is blue (okchamali). This is my first work composed about a specific person and the vision of the work came to me while watching Heloha at a playground in the summer of 2018. Starting with the third movement, the title and concept come from the fun I have calling Heloha my little trickster. He constantly imitates the speed of Catboy from PJ Masks and Flash from DC Comics, and loves pretending to be a superhero. The second movement is a very nostalgic expression of our precious sleep time and features Chickasaw melodies I sing to him as he rests. The first movement is the fun I had attaching Marvel characters to his constant adventures in life and also contains traditional songs I sing to him. Super Cat Speed!” - Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate
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