Toward the Sea

Sunday, April 30th, 2023, 3 PM

2:15 Pre-Concert Talk

Pilgrim Congregational Church

533 Rt. 28, Harwich Port

Join us as we tell the whole story of the Pilgrim voyage and native people. This concert was originally scheduled for the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage in 2020.

The event kicks off with a pre-concert talk at 2:15 PM, led by Waban Webquish, an indigenous professional who provides education on the history and traditions of his cultural heritage through guided walks and seminars as well as creates and distributes handmade Wampum jewelry, traditional indigenous items, and culturally sustainable foods. Musician, poet, and Wampanoag artist MaDarrius Maximus will also accompany the pre-concert talk, sharing some of his original work.

Emma Brennan, Mashpee Wampanoag, joins us and perform her original music “Breath of Prayers”. We also welcome back CCCO composer-in-residence Cody Forrest for a world premiere, "Spirit of".

Toru Takemitsu's Toward the Sea (1981) for alto flute, harp, and strings was commissioned by Green Peace for the "Save the Whales" campaign, and features a movement dedicated to Cape Cod. We look forward to featuring Zach Sheets, flute, and Charles Overton, harp. The CCCO concludes this journey with Tchaikovsky’s thrilling Souvenir de Florence.

Cody W. Forrest (b. 1988) is a composer and educator, fascinated by the ineffable in music and its ability to forge pathways between souls. His works explore the human impulse to share stories, the interplay of musical dichotomies, and a diverse spectrum of expressivity. Cody has been commissioned by Dinosaur Annex, conductor Daniel Hege, and the Cochran Wrenn Duo. His music has been performed by Boston Music Viva, the Cassatt String Quartet, and internationally by violinist Léo Marillier. He has received the Florence Price fellowship from the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, the Classic Pure Vienna International Composition Competition grand prize, an ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, and was selected for the 2015 EarShot New Music Readings. In 2016 he served as composer-in-residence for Chamber Music Campania in Varano, Italy. Cody resides in Brookline, MA and currently teaches at Northeastern University and New England Conservatory.

PROGRAM:

BRENNAN Breath of Prayers

TAKEMITSU Toward the Sea

CODY FORREST Spirit of

TCHAIKOVSKY Souvenir de Florence

TICKETS:

$35 General Admission - Students & Children FREE