Star Peace
Many moons ago, on a long night watch during a sailboat race, I looked at the sky and then breathed into my bamboo flute. The heavens shimmered and harmonies sounded as I repeated a contour of notes. Except for the lapping waves on the boat’s hull and lingering sound, the night was silent. Eventually I played intervals that sang the shape of Cassiopeia’s W shaped throne…and STAR PEACE was born.
The music was nourished by Dr. Fred Hess, my navigation teacher and by Bill Ingles, Julliard Alumnus and cabaret music arranger. Fred’s booming voice and humor were merrily infectious and when I told him about playing flute during the race, he spontaneously recited mythologies of the constellations! And a few blocks south and west of the AMNH, Bill enjoyed playing new accompaniments relating to the stars. In pairs, we began a program based on the intervals of the constellations for a performance to be actualized in the Haydn Planetarium. This was feasible as Fred was the planetarium’s “voice” and knew the workings of the controls to view specific constellations.
Within a year, Fred, Bill and I developed three movements to STAR PEACE; Cassiopeia, Argo Navis, and the Celestial Panorama, the latter described the life cycle of a star. STAR PEACE, as we envisioned it, was guided by composed melodies and spacious improvisation segments, with each performer leading and following, and collectively in synch with the heavens. As with the chakras and natural order, each part of the program contained the other parts and needed flow. With this vision, the concert could then be performed in a variety of ways depending upon the musicians, narration and performance space.
Life moved on and all changed, as always. STAR PEACE though, had been structured for transformation and found performance venues with groups and institutions, especially with poet Dr. Gloria Mulcahy in Canada. The planetarium became the Rose Center, Fred retired and was chasing eclipses around the world, Bill had dropped out of the project and I was off to doctoral school and psychically preparing for motherhood. The research, documentation, musical scores, narratives and tapes all found a dormant place for about 15 years, until recently when our United Nations Aquarian Age meditations brought me forward to the wonder of space and energy.
With sadness I share that Fred and Bill, beautiful persons have passed. Their spirit is contained in STAR PEACE and thus we dedicate this program and subsequent programs to them as STAR PEACE is again, with gratitude, brought to live performance. Tonight you'll hear the segment of the life of a star and in your program called The Celestial Panorama. Rick Rosenberg, President of the Amateur Astronomer Association will narrate Dr. Hess’ text, Prashant, an engineer living in Brooklyn is on Sarod and I will be on C and Alto Flutes. Thank you. Sit back, envision peace and enjoy!
Love, Music
May 21, 2008
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