NOCO present "Les Cenelles," a new work by New Orleans composer & Tulane Music Graduate, Ryan Harrison
The New Orleans Chamber Orchestra's upcoming performances will feature the premiere of Les Cenelles, a major work by one of the recent graduates of the Music Department, Ryan Harrison, who is currently completing his PhD in composition at Duke University. The piece in question is his doctoral dissertation; it is a setting of four selections from the eponymous collection of poems by New Orleans free men of color, published in 1845. The piece is about 25 minutes long, scored for soprano, bass, and chamber orchestra.
The two performances will take place on Friday, August 25 and Saturday, August 26 at Xavier University at 7:30 pm. Also on the program are: a premiere of Aurorean Air by Trevor Weston, A Prayer from Malta by New Orleans composer Michael Burke, and works by Mozart and Arensky. Soprano Sakinah Davis and bass-baritone Ivan Griffin will be the soloists in Ryan Harrison's piece while soprano Betsy Uschkrat will be the soloist in Michael Burke's piece. Co-directors of New Orleans Chamber Orchestra and Tulane faculty members Phillip Larroque and Maxim Samarov will conduct.