Voices Shouting Out [CF:115-40426]

A Native New Yorker, Nkeiru Okoye penned the initial sketches of what would be VOICES SHOUTHING OUT on New Year’s Eve, 2001/02. The completed work premiered six weeks later by The Virginia Symphony and has continued to delight and captivate audiences of all ages and backgrounds."I sat to write 'Voices' in the wake of September 11th; however, in my grieving process, I failed to find music within. It was as though my muse crumbled with our twin towers. So, though I originally attempted to compose a piece, 'Voices Crying Out,' in response to the destruction... I could not. As this nation recovered, we were united in a response: we would resume our lives, using normalcy to defy terrorism. In the end, rather than 'crying out,' my response was 'Voices Shouting Out' in freedom, as it were, through the music. It was a march to acknowledge those fighting on behalf of our safety, and yeta sparkling celebration of life for those of us who continued living."The Virginia Symphony commissioned VOICES SHOUTHING OUT for a multicultural program titled, “Of Heroes and Human Rights," which was conducted by Maestro Wes Kenney. The wind ensemble version was commissioned by a consortium led by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Bands.