Presented by the Department of Performing Arts and Technology, NC State’s Raleigh Civic Chamber Orchestra performs the world premiere of two new works inspired by cycles of the natural world: Nowruz by composer Adeliia Faizullina, and ao kuewa by Pulitzer Prize finalist Leilehua Lanzilotti.

Faizullina is an Uzbekistan-born Tatar composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who happens to be blind. She explores cutting-edge vocal colors and paints delicate and vibrant atmospheres inspired by the music and poetry of Tatar folklore. Her new work takes the name of the holiday that celebrates the arrival of spring throughout the Persian, Arabic and Turkic speaking worlds.

Lanzilotti is a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) composer and sound artist whose work is characterized by explorations of timbre and an interest in translating everyday sounds to concert instruments using nontraditional techniques. ao kuewa tells the story of renewal after destruction, and the importance of taking care of the land. 

The program includes French works by composers Augusta Holmès and Arthur Honegger, and the joyous Dances of Marosszék by Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály. The concert takes place Sunday, April 2 at 4pm in Stewart Theatre, conducted by Dr. Peter Askim, director of orchestral studies in the Department of Performing Arts and Technology.