Terry Longshore will present a solo percussion faculty recital concert titled: “This Moment In Time” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, at the Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall, 405 S. Mountain Ave., Ashland.
A free livestream is available: https://youtube.com/live/Xd3RcBFqAp0?feature=share
The world has endured a tragic year. Millions have died from COVID-19, and social, cultural, and economic life has been curtailed everywhere. With vaccinations accelerating, life in many places is on the road back to normal. But before life can feel truly normal, we must memorialize the devastation of the past year. Our response is an initiative called This Moment In Time.
Working with musicians and cultural partners around the world, massive gongs will appear in public spaces on June 21, the summer solstice. At noon local time, a celebrated local musician will play the gong for one uninterrupted hour, marking the incalculable loss of the past year. Afterwards, the public will be invited to come up to each gong and play it themselves, hearing the unfathomable mystery of the sound, experiencing the cathartic feeling of hitting something massive, and feeling the deep therapeutic vibrations in their bodies.
Around the world, gongs traditionally mark a moment in time – whether announcing Napoleon’s funeral procession, the arrival of a Chinese dignitary, the start of a sumo wrestling contest, or the serving of dinner in a British mansion. For everyone joining or witnessing this event, This Moment In Time will mark the losses of the pandemic, but also the beginning of a new era in sight.” — Make Music Day
Looking back, we know things took a very different turn in the summer of 2021 as the Omicron variant took hold and delayed our “road back to normal,” which we are still on in many ways. The feeling of hope then is still very powerful now in my own memory of the time, of composing and performing This Moment In Time, and in continuing to share it as a beacon of hope and an expression of that memory. One of my most inspirational and dear friends, renowned artist Betty LaDuke, was inspired by the performance and the round shape of the large gong, and immediately began her Turtle Wisdom series of works, which now number nearly 30, and have in turn inspired me to compose a new work, Full Circle: Turtle Wisdom, intended for projected artwork/graphic scores (Betty’s Turtles) and gong orchestra, to be premiered in Fall, 2024. What an honor and delight for me! — Terry Longshore
