b'PROGRAM NOTESVALERIE COLEMANSeven OClock Shout for OrchestraCOMPOSER: Born 1970, Louisville, KYWORK COMPOSED: Commissioned by and dedicatedto the Philadelphia Orchestra and Maestro Yannick Nzet-SguinWORLD PREMIERE: Yannick Nzet-Sguin led thePhiladelphia Orchestra in a virtual performance on July 6, 2020.INSTRUMENTATION: Piccolo, 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, 2 clarinets,2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, timpani,bass drum, claves, cowbell, crash cymbals, marimba,suspended cymbal, vibraphone, whistle, harp, and stringsESTIMATED DURATION: 5.5 minutesPhoto by Kia Caldwell Photography LLCV alerie Coleman is an iconic artist who continues to pave her own unique path as a composer, Grammy-nominated flutist, and entrepreneur. Highlighted as one of the Top 35 Women Composers byThe Washington Post, she wasnamed Performance Todays 2020Classical Woman of the Year, an honor bestowed to an individual who has made a significant contribution to classical music as a performer, composer, or educator. More recently, Coleman has focused on composition; her music has garnered numerous awards, commissions, and other honors.In the spring of 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, the Philadelphia Orchestra commissioned Coleman to write a work for their gala concert, which would be presented and performed virtually. Colemans relationship with the Philadelphia Orchestra dates back to 2019, when she composed UMOJA: Anthem of Unity for them. In the years since its premiere, UMOJA has become one of Colemans most frequently performed works. When Coleman accepted the new commission, she was given only two weeks to complete it. Fortunately, Colemans prior familiarity with the orchestra and its individual players provided unique insights that shaped her composition. The Philadelphia Orchestra to me is not just a large ensemble, but it also [has] the intimacy and ESP of a chamber ensemble, she explains. They are a big ensemble that moves nimbly, with such a beautiful sound that is uniquely warm and Philadelphian. As she worked on Seven OClock Shout, Coleman kept that sound in mind. In her notes, Coleman observes, When a composer has the rare opportunity to create for musicians they have gotten to know, the act of composing becomes an embrace tailored to the personality and capabilities of the musicians with elements of both challenge and appreciation. One such moment is dedicated to humanity and grace, as a clarinet solo written for Ricardo Morales, followed by a flute solo with both Jeffrey Khaner and Patrick Williams in mind, providing a transition into a new upbeat segment. Later, to continue tradition from the first commission the composer received from the orchestra, a piccolo solo dedicated to Erica Peel dances with joy.Seven OClock Shoutis an anthem inspired by the tireless frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the heartwarming ritual of evening serenades that brings people together amidst isolation to celebrate life and the sacrifices of heroes.The work begins with a distant and solitary solo between two trumpets in fanfare fashion to commemorate the isolation forced upon humankind, and the need to reach out to one another. The fanfare blossoms into a lushly dense landscape of nature, symbolizing both the caregiving acts of nurses and doctors as they try to save lives, while nature is transforming and healing herself during a time of self-isolation.srsymphony.org2024-2025 Season 19'