Ravinia 2024 Issue 3

commissioned by the Barossa Music Festival in 2003. The film scores encompass shorts ( Cele- bration of Earthrise ), TV series (the animated series Ben & Izzy with voiceovers by Lucy Liu and Mark Hamill), and feature films ( Al-Remal Al-Arabiyyah , or Arabian Sands ). Three soundtracks ( One Man, Eight Cameras ; Jinxy Jenkins & Lucky Lou ; and The Oceanmaker ) have been finalists for the Marvin Hamlisch Film Scoring Contest; another ( Marie ) was a finalist in the Short Film Corner at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. Three songs (“Mermaid’s Maiden Voyage,” “Believe It!,” and “Gothic Gathering”) won the Great American Song Contest, and a fourth (“Ascension of the Sea Spirits”) was a fi- nalist. Her symphonic scores include the cho- ral-orchestral Forgotten Arabia , which earned Falkenberg a nomination as Best New Compos- er at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, and the orchestral Deep Sea Dreaming , a nomi- nee for the Los Angeles Music Award. Known for her extensive background research and commitment to factual accuracy in her compositions, Falkenberg consulted with astro- nauts and the foremost planetary scientists in the creation of the epic choral-orchestral THE MOONS SYMPHONY (2017–20), which por- trays seven moons in our solar system. In turn, various scientific organizations—the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lunar Planetary Science Congress in Geneva, and London Science Mu- seum, among them—have invited Falkenberg to share her creative approach to the intersection of music and science. In 2023, she reworked the score for orchestra alone under the title THE MOONS Symphonic Suite . “The first six movements draw inspiration from scientific data gathered by space probes, while the seventh explores the emotional data experi- enced through the hearts of astronauts after see- ing the beauty of our planet united and whole. “Guided by the dynamic forces of music—and complemented by stunning visuals courte- sy of space artists Ron Miller and Ed Bell and NASA—we venture beyond the asteroid belt into the realm of the gas giants. Here, hidden worlds Amanda Lee Falkenberg with Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke are unlocked, inviting audiences to experience the awe, wonder, and beauty of the cosmos. “The tour begins with a blast at Jupiter’s explo- sive moon Io , where hundreds of erupting vol- canoes and lava seas create a celestial battlefield. Next, the icy, sub-surface mysteries of Europa have captured the attention of NASA, which is sending a spacecraft to this oceanic world in search of potential microbial life. “The narrative then shifts to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan , and the ambitious assignment tasked to a space probe to conquer Titan’s stub- born clouds that revealed a world astonishingly like Earth. Next, the dreamy geysers of Ence- ladus steal our hearts as spectacular fountains of water vapor emanate from its south pole, a discovery that forever altered planetary science. “Moving from romance to desolation, Uranus’s moon Miranda is a story of despair. Scarred by brutal epochs that tortured her terrain, an epic ice cliff, the tallest known in the solar system, adorns her surface. “The next moon in this outer world adventure is the colossal Ganymede , where we examine its scientific significance, followed by a tribute to the father of modern science: Galileo Galilei. “Our adventure culminates at Earth’s Moon as we stand on its surface together to experience Earth-rise . A story about fragility, breathtak- ing beauty, and a celebration of the life Earth sustains. This last story is about us and the in- ter-connectivity of everything on the home we all share: an anthem to our Earth. “Special Thanks: These immersive sci-fact sto- ries are possible thanks to consultations with world-leading planetary scientists that ensure that our space adventures are informed by cut- ting-edge research. Join us as we delve into dy- namic, diverse and dramatic moons here in our solar system: New Worlds to Explore. ” –Program notes © 2024 Todd E. Sullivan IMAGES AND ANIMATIONS Artwork: Ron Miller Additional Artwork: Bill Hartman, Josef Barat, Jason Perry, Ted Stryk 3D Animation: Ed Bell and Kevin Gill Images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/ Voyager 1 and 2, JUNO, New Horizons, James Webb Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope Compositing: Paul Myer Hopkins Video Production/Editing: Amanda Lee Falkenberg and Paul Myer Hopkins MARIN ALSOP, Ravinia Chief Conductor For Marin Alsop’s biography, see page 57. APOLLO CHORUS OF CHICAGO The Apollo Chorus of Chicago is the area’s pre- mier volunteer chorus, featuring over 120 au- ditioned members comprising men and wom- en of all ages, races, creeds, and occupations brought together by their abiding love of music. The voices of college students blend seamlessly with the voices of retirees who have belonged to Apollo for over 50 years. Apollo performs the masterworks of choral repertory in concert halls and cathedrals all around the Chicago area. Re- cently the chorus has performed Mendelssohn’s Elijah , Bach’s B-minor Mass, Orff ’s Carmina Bu- rana , and Mozart’s Requiem, but Apollo is per- haps best known for its presentations of Handel’s Messiah that have become a beloved holiday tra- dition for Chicago families. The chorus began its annual performances of Messiah in 1879, seven years after its founding; under the direction of Stephen Alltop since 1997, it began singing the complete work in 2000 and recorded it on the Clarion label in 2006. Apollo also embraces new masterpieces, featuring contemporary compos- ers Eric Whitacre, Eleanor Daley, and Stephen Paulus on its programs that regularly span from spirituals to sambas, and from the Baroque to the blues. In addition to its own season, Apollo has frequently been invited to perform on music festivals and concert series with major orches- tras and other ensembles around the Midwest, including the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County. Apollo has been fea- tured with movies in concert and in several operas and choral symphonies, performed with Jackie Evancho and Josh Groban, and appeared on Oprah’s two-part finale of The Oprah Show . The Apollo Chorus of Chicago first sang at Ra- vinia in 2002 and is marking its 11th season at the festival. RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JULY 22 – AUGUST 4, 2024 60