Summer Sun, Winter Moon

Commemorating the Bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition
World Premiere: Fall 2004

Commissioned by the Carlsen Center (for the Kansas City Symphony), the Saint Louis Symphony, and the Louisiana Philharmonic, this large-scale choral/orchestral work features a libretto by Darrell Kipp, a writer from the Blackfoot tribe. The work commemorates the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition from a multicultural perspective to “cross the divide” that separates Native America and mainstream America.

Summer Sun, Winter Moon pairs an innovative composer with a writer fighting to save the Blackfeet language from extinction. Through conversations and town hall meetings from the head of the Missouri river in St. Louis to the Rocky Mountains along the Continental Divide to the mouth of the Columbia River on the Pacific Coast of Oregon, Rob Kapilow and Darrell Kipp follow the footsteps of Lewis and Clark to discover the explorers’ legacy and the impact and meaning the expedition had both then and in our lives today.

From www.lplpo.com messageboards (‘03 Citypiece):

“The performance of Rob Kapilow and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Sunday afternoon was awe-inspiring. Think of any superlative applicable to the arts, and it would fit.”
“I managed to catch the broadcast of your piece, and it was every bit as wonderful as I remembered it from the Baton Rouge premiere. All of your commentary from the concert...was worth the price of admission by itself! ... I hope this isn’t the last we hear of this wonderful work.”
“What a memorable trip! Thanks for your positive diplomacy, energy, teaching talent, and your ever-present creative problem solving ability! Making history today is such a phenomenal experience!”
“I love that you are offering a new perspective on classical music. Thank you for sharing music with the novices of the world. You’ve inspired me not only to continuing to improve my voice, but not be afraid of music. All from one little radio show!”
“Thank you for all you are doing for the world of music and for the music of the world.”

Summer Sun, Winter Moon

What Audiences Are Saying About Citypieces

From www.lplpo.com messageboards (‘03 Citypiece):