Music for Wilderness Lake by R. Murray Schafer

The opening concert of SNM’s 50th season on Sunday, September 5 was an unforgettable outdoor performance: Wilderness Music by twelve trombones at Hiawatha Lake in Upper Onondaga Park. For the main piece on the program, Music for Wilderness Lake by Canadian composer R Murray Schafer, three quartets of trombones played from distant points around the lake, and were coordinated with cues from nautical flags positioned at the gazebo at the south side of the lake. Other works on the program were by Ryan Meredith, Michael Davis, Steve Verhelst, Max Richter, and Joe Buono. The storm clouds receded just before the start of the performance, and the natural backdrop for the performance was spectacular. The performance was dedicated to the memory of R Murray Schafer, who passed away just three weeks before the performance, on August 14.