calm after by Chris Lowry

By Chris Lowry

This short orchestral piece combines material from a pops concert-opener I wrote over the summer of 2016 with material discarded from my Symphony No. 0. Consisting mostly of hymn-like chorales using tertian harmonies, this piece represents the aim to find peace in the wake of tragedy. Calm After is dedicated to all who were affected by the Louisiana Floods of August 2016.

Little did I know at the time of writing this piece how personal it would become to me later, as it was written only a few months following the flood, but on May 6, 2017, my apartment burned down, killing my cat Clara and destroying many valuable personal belongings—now this piece retrospectively signifies my journey to find personal peace as well.

Calm After won first prize in the 2016 World Projects Composition Competition; it was premiered on June 20, 2017, in Walt Disney Concert Hall by West Coast Classical (conducted by Patricia Graham)

Duration: 4 minutes
Grade Level: 4