JULIA LOUISA ESTHER.
A SUFFRAGETTE SYMPHONY
Opus. 74
Instrumentation: 3.3.3.3. / 4.2.3.0. / timp +3 / strings
Duration: 24 minutes, four movements
Commissioned by: The Wyoming Symphony Orchestra
Premiered: Spring 2022
Scroll down for program note and commissioner biography
PROGRAM NOTE.
JULIA LOUISA ESTHER's first movement is a depiction of the wild land that was “no place for a woman”: a tableau of the High Plains, the majesty of Wyoming’s many rivers, the thunderous galloping of wild horses, and the crystalline silence at the top of the Grand Tetons.
The second movement then delves into the mutual love and respect between a saloon owner and his wife Julia Bright, fortified with sonic paintings of Wyoming by moonlight.
The third movement's fervent, frenetic energy highlights his arguments on behalf of women when he introduced a bill that allowed them their civic say; the moment of the first vote entered by a woman–– Louisa Swain––on a day in early September, and the victory of Esther Morris’s appointment as Justice of the Peace soon thereafter: she was the first woman to ever hold public office in the United States.
The fourth movement brings the work to its close in a final anthem to the justice that Wyoming gave to its women; the justice that inspired other states to follow suit in this most necessary, most basic of human freedoms: an action that prompted Susan B. Anthony to declare that “Wyoming is the first place on God’s green earth which could consistently claim to be the land of the free!”
The inscription on the first page on the score reads:
Inspired by Paulann, a brave pioneer who brought new horizons to all those who were graced to walk beside her. And the many women, including Julia, Louisa, and Esther, who brought new horizons of capability and possibility to so many in their wake. May we all have the courage to seek our own horizons, not only for ourselves, but so as to provide a sturdier path for those who will inevitably follow us.
Highlight Reel.
PERUSAL SCORE
Best viewed on a computer
Details // Concert Prep
-
PDF Score + Part(s) sent via email within 2-3 business days. I’m excited to connect with you!
Purchase is for one copy only, just for you! Please don’t share or else I’ll be sad when I see it in my google alerts ; - )
-
I want to meet you! Purchase of this pdf in the 23/24 season comes with a 30 min zoom session, if you’d appreciate that during your rehearsal process. You’ll receive scheduling instructions in the delivery email with your music.
-
I’m excited to help promote your concert(s) on social media and include it on the website!
If you already have a concert date in mind, you’ll receive instructions on sending me concert info in the delivery email with your music.
commissioner biography.
Located in Casper, WY, the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra brings live, symphonic music to Central Wyoming. We produce five concerts each year with renowned guest soloists and more than 70 well-trained local and regional musicians to create unique, high-quality performances. The WSO partners with other local organizations to create events that will enrich Central Wyoming’s cultural environment. Outreach projects through our Music on the Move program, an annual children’s concert, and a family-friendly summer concert in Washington Park are among the events we produce each year.
conductor biography.
Wyoming Symphony Orchestra Music Director, Australian Christopher Dragon, was selected to lead the Orchestra in 2019. Dragon also serves as the Resident Conductor for the Colorado Symphony where he previously served as Associate Conductor since the 2015/16 Season. For three years prior, Dragon held the position of Assistant Conductor with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to work closely with Principal Conductor Asher Fisch.
Christopher works regularly in Australia and has guest conducted the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. His 2015 debut performance at the Sydney Opera House with Josh Pyke and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was released on album by ABC Music and won an ARIA the following year. Christopher’s international guest conducting includes the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
He has also conducted at numerous festivals including the Breckenridge and Bangalow Music Festivals, with both resulting in immediate re-invitations. At the beginning of 2016 Mr. Dragon conducted Wynton Marsalis' Swing Symphony as part of the Perth International Arts Festival alongside Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Christopher Dragon began his conducting studies in 2011 and was a member of the prestigious Symphony Services International Conductor Development Program in Australia under the guidance of course director Christopher Seaman. He has also studied with numerous distinguished conductors including Leonid Grin, Paavo and Neeme Järvi at the Järvi Summer Festival, Fabio Luisi at the Pacific Music Festival and conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula.