Director of Bands Keith Johnston will give the world premiere of "A Blue Iris," a new work for trombone and organ, during the 11:30 a.m. mass Sunday, Nov. 21, at St. Thomas More Church, along with music instructor Galen Tate. Johnston commissioned the piece from New York City-based composer Dr. Steven Rosenhaus.
"It is unusual to commission a Jewish composer to write music intended for use in Christian services," said Rosenhaus, "but not unheard of; Leonard Bernstein, for example, wrote his 'Chichester Psalms' for the 1965 Southern Cathedrals' Festival at Chichester Cathedral. While Bernstein chose the occasion to assert his own Judaism, I decided on a more interfaith approach for 'A Blue Iris.'"
The title is derived from the poem "Praying" by Mary Oliver, in which prayer doesn't have to be fancy or complex ("It doesn't have to be a blue iris") to open a door "into thanks." Sometimes the simplest, softest prayers can be the most powerful. From a musical standpoint this translates into a meditation for trombone and organ; both instruments, each capable of great power, focus their energies inward. The work is tonal; everything derives from the trombone's opening simple oscillation between two notes and the organ's thoughtful response.
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