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In Greek mythology, Selene, goddess of the moon, drives her moon chariot across the heavens. She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun-god Helios, and Eos, goddess of the dawn.

In Selene - Moon Chariot Rituals, a string quartet is joined by a percussion quartet, and the combination of these two quite different instrumental families results in one of the most strikingly distinctive soundworlds to be encountered in Thomas' output. For one thing, the two quartets are seldom used separately, and solo breaks from either strings or percussion, while present, are conspicuous by their rarity. Instead, Thomas prefers to use the 8 players as a compact instrumental unit whose colours, texture and complexion changes constantly as the music gambols through its 17-minute span: this is one of Thomas' most concentrated essays in forward motion, with the pace almost always at a run. There are a few pockets of introspection, but they are too brief to ever dispel the sense of vast spaces covered in the blink of an eye as Selene, the lunar goddess of Greek mythology, would do when driving her moon chariot across the firmaments. With its powerfully driven rhythmic through-line, one cannot be unaware of the work's incipiently balletic connotations - a notion that was confirmed in conversation with Thomas herself: composing for her is as physical an action as it is for the performer to play the music in question, and in the wild hockets that the music crystallises into in its concluding stages, the feeling that the journey is about to reach a point of arrival is as exhilarating as it is inescapable. Typically for Thomas, though, when the music does attain its goal, it's not in the shape of some grand apotheosis, but a single sharp, terse flash.

- Program Note written by the composer

Postlude No. 8 is the last, and perhaps the most serene, of Eliot Cole’s Postludes for four players, eight double-bass bows, and a single vibraphone. This unconventional setup transforms the vibraphone into a resonant, breathing instrument, where sustained tones and delicate harmonics intertwine to create an otherworldly texture.

Unlike the more intricate or percussive moments in the set, Postlude No. 8 unfolds with profound stillness, its subtly shifting harmonies creating a meditative soundscape—haunting, intimate, and deeply expressive. At its core, Postlude No. 8 is a study in resonance and patience—a moment of suspended time, where sound hovers in the air, dissolving into silence as gently as it emerges.

Most Indians will immediately recognize Teen Murti as name of the New Delhi residence of the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The residence, which now serves as an incredible cultural resource (library, museum, and planetarium) is named for the sculpture that stands in front of it. ‘Teen Murti’ means three statues, figures, or representations in Hindi. Though not directly based on the sculptures, this work shares their title as it is centered around three large musical ‘figures’ that are adjoined by short interludes – similar to the idea behind Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. It lays out three tableauxs: each is rooted in a specific raag and its Hindustani melodic tradition, and those melodies are interwoven using a more Western technique.

At the many concerts of Hindustani musicians I attended while I was in India, I noticed a curious thing that would happen before each performance. The artist would announce the raag to be sung or played that evening, and immediately, many of the cognoscenti in the audience would begin humming the characteristic phrases or ‘pakads’ of that <em”>raag quietly to themselves, intoning with the drone that was already sounding on stage. It had a magical feeling – as if that raag was present in the air, and tiny wisps of it were already starting to precipitate into the audible world in anticipation of the performance. I wanted to open this piece in that way, and continue to return to that idea in the interludes. 

While I never made it to Teen Murti during the time I lived in Delhi, coincidentally, the first time one of my compositions was premiered in the city was at a concert at Teen Murti, barely a few months after I had returned to the US. 

For those familiar with the Hindustani tradition: I hope you will hear in the interludes the strains of Bihag and Bhairav pakads, and in the three murti Malkauns, Bhairav and Jog respectively. Malkauns, being a madhyam-based raag, is something that sits very differently in the western ear, which continues to percieve S as P (of what would then be a P based raag). I wanted to play with this expectation through the evocation of Malkauns taans that constantly return to this unexpected S from increasingly greater distance and over greater lengths of time. Basant is one of my favorite raags because it is a beautiful example of the difference of musical aesthetic between Hindustani and Western idioms. When westerners think of the season of spring, this is the classic example that comes to mind. Of course Basant could not be more different in color and mood, and I think hearing both these conceptions of the season of spring allow us to see how multi-faceted our aesthetic associations can be. Jog has been both a source of constant fascination and challenge for me. The use of both shudh and komal G allows for effortless transition between what westerners refer to as the major and minor modes. But both these modes are equally present in Jog, and its complexity allows for such a broad range of expression. 

This piece was commissioned and premiered by River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Mei-Ann Chen.

Cuban composer, guitarist, and conductor Leo Brouwer is one of the most significant figures in contemporary classical guitar music, yet his ensemble works are just as spectacular, though less well known. His music blends Afro-Cuban rhythms, modernist techniques, and deep musical expression, drawing inspiration from both his Cuban heritage and Western classical traditions.

Los Negros Brujos Se Divierten (The Black Sorcerers Have Fun) is a lively and evocative piece that captures the rhythmic vitality and mysticism of Afro-Cuban culture. Musicologists typically divide Brouwer’s output into three stylistic periods:

- 1954–1964: A neoclassical approach, influenced by composers like Stravinsky and Bartók.
- 1964–1978: A contemporary phase, incorporating serialism and avant-garde techniques.
- Since 1978: A synthesis, blending his earlier styles with minimalism and postmodern influences.

Written in 1985, this piece exemplifies Brouwer’s later synthesis period, merging music inspired by his Cuban heritage with contemporary sounds of the time. It features hints of Steve Reich and other composers who helped define 20th-century minimalism, resulting in a work that is both deeply rooted in tradition and forward-looking in its rhythmic and textural innovations.

Described by Classical Voice of North Carolina (CVNC) as an “impressive conductor…outstanding in his attention to detail and his command of the big picture," Hong Kong-born conductor Ho-Yin Kwok is a three-time winner of The American Prize, 2021, winner of 2017-2018 Vincent C. LaGuardia, Jr. Conducting Competition and 2021 International Conductors Workshop and Competition. Recently appointed as Director of Orchestras at Ithaca College, New York, Kwok also serves as Music Director of Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra in Duluth, Minnesota and Artistic Director and Conductor of the Mississippi Valley Orchestra in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

 Having established a nationwide professional reputation, He has served as Assistant Conductor of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and cover conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra. Kwok was previously Assistant Conductor of Collegium Musicum Hong Kong and has performed in esteemed venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Musikverein in Vienna. His most recent guest conducting engagements include the New World Symphony (FL), the Syracuse Orchestra (NY), Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (MN), Arapahoe Philharmonic (CO), Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (NY), Gwinnett Symphony Chamber Orchestra (GA), and Eastern Festival Orchestra (NC).

 An avid music educator, Kwok previously served as the Director of the Duluth Superior Youth Symphony, and in the faculty of Eastern Kentucky University and University of Minnesota Duluth. His recent educational guest conducting engagements include the Connecticut All-State Orchestra, Suffolk County All-County Orchestra on Long Island, Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras, University of Wisconsin-Madison Summer Music Clinic, and Foster Music Camp. He was invited as adjudicator for concerto competitions such as those of Minnesota Orchestra Young People's Symphony Concert Association, University of Minnesota, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and Binghamton University.

 Kwok is a first prize winner of The American Prize in opera conducting. He had served as Music Director of the Opera Theatre at University of Minnesota Twin-Cities. He enjoys conducting operas of a wide range of periods and styles, from Mozart's Idomeneo to Puccini's La Bohéme, Britten's Albert Herring, and Menotti’s The Consul. He was the instigating artistic force behind the formation of opera orchestra at Eastern Kentucky University and has collaborated professionally with Arbeit Opera Theatre and Lyric Opera of the North. In the 2021-22 season, Kwok gave one of the first performances of Laura Kaminsky’s new opera, Hometown to the World.

Known for his passion in diversifying the orchestral concert repertoire, Kwok has been involved in multiple initiatives and special projects. With the Mississippi Valley Orchestra, he created the annual Foreground Composers Series, a year-round celebration and in-depth research on an underrepresented composer. This ongoing project has led to numerous US premieres of works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Ruth Gipps, and Ina Boyle, along with many other neglected composers. Kwok is also a panel member of …And we were heard, a national initiative to promote contemporary music and composers of underrepresented backgrounds. Kwok appeared as conductor for the Center for New Music at the University of Iowa.

Kwok studied conducting at the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities and the University of Iowa. His principal teachers are Mark Russell Smith and William LaRue Jones. He has also studied with Gerard Schwarz, Kevin Noe, Cristian Măcelaru, Giancarlo Guerrero, Kathy Saltzman Romey, Grant Cooper, José-Luis Novo and Eric Garcia.


Hailed as “a technical superstar and household name” by Maestro Paul Haas and “one of the most remarkable double (music) threats… a brilliant trumpeter and imaginative arranger” by David Srebnik (Sirius XM), internationally acclaimed trumpeter Chris Coletti is recognized for his work as a soloist, principal trumpet with top orchestras, arranger, and as a former member of the legendary Canadian Brass, with whom he toured internationally for over a decade and appears on more than a dozen acclaimed recordings.

He is Principal Trumpet of ROCO (Houston) and the Huntsville Symphony, and frequently performs and records as guest principal with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. As a conductor, Coletti directs the Ithaca College Contemporary Ensemble and has also led the IC Gamer Symphony, Trumpet Ensemble, and the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra.

He has performed and/or recorded with artists and ensembles such as Jon Batiste, Kanye West, Quincy Jones, the Metropolitan Opera Brass, New York Philharmonic Brass, and conductors Pierre Boulez, Riccardo Muti, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Kurt Masur. He also appears in the Netflix documentary American Symphony and is a member of the all-star brass octet Brassology.

Most importantly, Coletti’s students have gone on to win positions in professional military bands and orchestras, been accepted into elite graduate programs such as The Juilliard School, Yale, New England Conservatory (NEC), and Manhattan School of Music (MSM), completed PhDs at top institutions including Florida State University and the University of Connecticut, and are now professors at schools across the USA.