TO THE STARS - a requiem for the Space Shuttle Challenger

Barbican Hall, London - 4th July 2000

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 The Barbican Hall, London was the venue for an exciting and unusual year 2000 Fourth of July concert at 1pm lunchtime.

The young and talented performers of the Brass Band and Chamber Choir of the junior department from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama joined forces for an ambitious space-inspired work.

Film composer MICHAEL OMER has a long term obsession with space which gave rise to this piece, "To the Stars - a Requiem for the Space Shuttle Challenger", which was first performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, in memory of the crew who perished during the launch of the Space Shuttle 'Challenger' in January 1986.

 

That accident was a defining moment in manned space exploration and for a while all seemed lost. The loss was made an even sadder one -
if that were possible - due to the fact that Christa McAuliffe, an ordinary school teacher, who had been chosen from some 11,000 applicants to train as an astronaut - was also on that mission. MICHAEL OMER's piece is full of hope for the future, and is in thanksgiving for the lives of schoolteacher Christa and her six fellow astronauts: Judith Resnik, Gregory B. Jarvis, Ronald E. McNair, Michael J. Smith, Francis R. Scobee, and Ellison S. Onizuka. For related links click here.


Christa McAuliffe(centre)
[for more pictures of Christa goto www.lifemag.c...allenger.html]


 

 A large and appreciative audience at London's Barbican Hall, warmed to what was only the second
performance of this atmospheric work -  at this American Independence Day lunchtime concert.

The chamber choir trained by American born Valerie Kampmeir rose wonderfully to the occasion,
and gave a very professional and focussed reading, balancing well with the brass ensemble conducted by Spencer Down, and vocal soloists Elena Anastopoulos, Naomi Burrell and Clare Robson,
who were "...able to convey the emotionally charged nature of the piece with great conviction."

 Valerie Kampmeir, Michael Omer, Elena Anastopoulos  

 

  

 Some of the chamber choir...

  ...and brass in rehearsal at the Guildhall School of Music

 

When originally tackling this ambitious work, it was to Professor John Taylor, now Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at King's College London, that Michael turned for expert advice on space, time and the cosmos.
The author of THE definitive book Black Holes, and all things multi-dimensional, John was a great source of inspiration and expertise. Now at the forefront of research into 'consciousness', he is director of the European Centre for Neural Networks at King's, he is on the board of the International Neural Network Society, and his book The Race for Consciousness has recently been published to wide acclaim.
Read a synopsis or buy it at Amazon.com by clicking here.

 
 

 Professor John Taylor with soloist Clare Robson and the composer

 



Conductor Spencer Down is himself a "product" of the Guildhall School of Music,
studied in both the junior and senior school, and has been involved in a wide variety of work   -   ranging from Philomonie der Nationen, and the Cape Town Philharmonic, to appearances on the UK's Big Breakfast and Jo Brand television shows!

As the band's conductor of only nine months, he has shown himself to have a sensitive rapport with the players, and this will no doubt lead to the building of an integrated and exciting sound for the future.


Spencer conducts the Chamber Choir and Brass at the Barbican Hall, London

Clare Robson, along with her fellow soloists Naomi Burrell and Elena Anastopoulos, were all auditioned from the choir, and excellent they all were too. But it was only after casting Clare to sing the title "To the Stars" section of the piece, that her striking resemblance to Christa McAuliffe was noticed...

 

 

 

"I am a wandering spaceman with my back towards the sun

And I'm looking down at earth and seeing you;

I'm floating to a far-off planet, far from everyone,

And it seems that there is nothing they can do;

But while I'm on my journey I am gazing at the stars

And I'm seeing oh so many different things...

I am a wandering spaceman with my back towards the sun

And I'm looking down at earth and seeing you.

And so I'm floating to the stars with oh so many miles to go

I'm floating onto Mars...how many more worlds I don't know,

Will I pass this way again...?

Will they have the answer then...?

I'm floating to the stars...

I'm reaching for the stars....."

© 1987 Lyrics copyright Michael Omer


Click here for the full texts by Henry Vaughan and John Donne

 

MESSAGE FROM NASA ASTRONAUT

 Michael Foale the British born American astronaut extended his "best wishes for a successful event and regret I am unable to join you."

It had been hoped that Michael would join us at the concert on 4th July 2000  to celebrate the lives of Christa and her fellow astronauts, and indeed highlight the importance of the current and future space-shuttle missions. Understandably his space commitments prevented him from being this side of the pond, but we are most grateful that he sent his good wishes for the concert.		  



Christa Links | MP3 Clips

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