What You’ll Hear
Weidner Philharmonic – The Sky Is Not The Limit
April 12, 2025
Program notes by J. Michael Allsen
What You’ll Hear at Wei Phi | Katahj Copley (1998)
Equinox
background
Georgia native Katajh Copley premiered his first composition in 2017, and since then has composed over 100 works: chamber works and pieces for orchestra and wind ensemble. He studied initially at University of West Georgia, and earned a Master’s degree in composition from the University of Texas-Austen. Copley is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in composition at Michigan State University. Copley is one of eight founding members of the Nu Black Vanguard, a collective dedicated to the promotion and advancement of Black composers in the medium of music. He also sees outreach as part of his mission: “teaching young musicians the joy of discovering music, and why music is such a phenomenal language.” His Equinox is actually among his first orchestral works. Copley provides the following note about the work:
“The definition of the word equinox is the time when the plane of Earth’s equator passes through the geometric center of the Sun’s disk. This occurs twice each year, around 20 March and 23 September. However, while writing this piece at the end of 2021 I became engaged by the symbolism of the word itself. In some cultures, the equinox represents the balance of life and death—old and new. With this concept, I wanted that piece to embark on a journey of excitement, of trouble, and of wonder. The piece begins with this huge sixteenth note motif that is felt throughout the work— a sense of adventure, risk, and, at some moments, danger. Then the main theme enters to be a guide throughout this journey. From mystery to danger, the work moves to a lyrical texture that gives off the feeling of excitement and happiness of not knowing where life will take you.”
What You’ll Hear
The insistent sixteenth-note note motive main motive is heard in the brass at the beginning, and appears in several guises in the course of this work. A dark statement by the trombones sets off an extended middle section that is rather sedate in tone. The motive returns, full-force to end the piece.
Katahj Copley (b.1998)
This work was composed in 2021. The premiere was by the Carroll Symphony Orchestra (Carrollton, Georgia), led by Terry Lowry. Duration 7:00.
The young Katahj Copley wrote this brisk concert overture, which is dominated by a distinctive motive heard at the opening.
The Sky Is Not The Limit: this is the link between the five works in this Weidner Philharmonic program.
We open with a stunning brass and timpani “sunrise” fanfare from Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra. This was made famous by its use in the classic 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, where it is used to represent the Monolith and all of its powers. Jennifer Jolley’s Flight 710 to Cabo San Lucas who is named for a (fictitious) airline flight, but is actually music that’s out of this world in another way: channeling the music of James Brown! Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral is both a tribute to her brother and an ethereal vision of a cathedral in the sky. Joaquín Rodrigo’s A la busca del más allá (In Search of the Beyond) is dedicated to NASA astronauts. Finally, Katajh Copley’s Equinox is inspired by both the astronomical meaning of the word, and a more personal meaning as well.
Weidner Philharmonic The Sky Is Not The Limit
Saturday, April 12 – 7:30 PM at The Weidner
Conducted by UW-Green Bay Chancellor – Michael Alexander
- Tickets Starting at $25
- Student Tickets $16
- Weidner Members Get Up to 30% Off Tickets
