Great Lake Concerto Premiere Highlights

On February 5, 2024 the Chicago College of Performing Arts Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Emanuele Andrizzi premiered my new piece "The Great Lake Concerto", a double percussion concerto featuring Ed Harrison (Lyric Opera of Chicago) and Vadim Karpinos (Chicago Symphony Orchestra).

These are some highlights from all three movements during the world premiere performance.

0:00 - Movement I
3:14 - Movement II
4:57 - Movement III

*Program Notes*
“The Great Lake Concerto”, a concerto for double percussion, serves as a powerful ode to water conservation and the city of Chicago. Composed for my former percussion teachers Ed Harrison & Vadim Karpinos, the concerto not only showcases the technical prowess of the percussionists but also resonates with a message about the interconnectedness of communities and their natural surroundings. The concerto explores the symbiotic relationship between humanity and water, drawing inspiration from Lake Michigan, which stretches over 22,406 square miles and serves as a lifeblood for Chicago.

Opening with the deep resonance of water through the water gong, the first movement explores the ebb and flow of water, deep and expansive, shallow and fragile. The second movement features a folk song, selected by Vadim Karpinos, this song celebrates another city shaped by water, Kiev, Ukraine. The closing movement showcases the star performers, making space for unique solos from the maracas and the xylophone.

The world premiere of this concerto unites several Chicago institutions, in addition to myself (a Chicagoan composer): Ed Harrison of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Vadim Karpinos of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (both faculty at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University), orchestra members and the Maestro Andrizzi from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, and the stage for the premiere – Chicago’s historic Auditorium Theatre.

Video by Atlas Arts

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