What the Soul Remembers
Duration ~ 10 minutes
Commissioned by the Fort Wayne Chapter Sigma Alpha Iota
Premiered by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Conductor Andrew Constantine
Available from Adamo Press
2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in Bb, 2 bassoons; 2 horns in F, 2 trumpets in Bb, 2 trombones, 1 tuba; timpani; piano; strings
What the Soul Remembers was commissioned by Sigma Alpha Iota and premiered by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic under Andrew Constantine on October 10, 2009. Each of the three movements is a portrait: Wilda Gene Marcus, whose quiet, selfless dedication to teaching is reflected in an understated piano voice set against lyrical strings; K Marie Stolba, whose own song Memory Hither Come is woven into the movement, juxtaposed with the composer's own themes in tribute to her bold, purposeful spirit; and Colleen Benninghoff, whose gift for bringing people together is traced through contrapuntal woodwinds and brass, culminating in a chorale drawn from the opening notes of Elgar's Nimrod, a piece she loved. Composed while the composer was pregnant, this work became a meditation on feminine strength, legacy, and the many ways a life can leave its mark.