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Steinway & Sons Feature

Glenstone/Smithsonian Residency

A New Composition Inspired by Visual Art and Space Exploration

“Moonshot” for string quartet was written for the Abeo Quartet and commissioned by the Glenstone Museum in 2019. The piece is inspired by a triptych of “date-paintings” which chart milestones of Apollo 11, created by artist On Kawara and on display at Glenstone. The piece is in three movements to reflect each painting: I. July 16, 1969, launch; II. July 20, 1969, the lunar landing; and III. July 21, 1969, the day people on Earth came together to celebrate humanity’s first steps on the Moon.

Premiere at Glenstone and Pop-Up Concerts

The new work was premiered during a recital by the Abeo Quartet on the Glenstone water court. The evening event kicked off a weekend of pop-up performances where visitors can get up close to the musicians and spend time listening to the music while absorbing the visual art.

Video Recording at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

We partnered with the Smithsonian Institution to produce a video of “Moonshot” being performed among artifacts of human space exploration. Four/Ten Media was hired to produce the film, funded by a generous grant from The Juilliard School.

Watch

The video was released in December 2019 to close the Smithsonian Year of Music and NASM’s year-long celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo 11.

Outreach in Schools

During the residency, we worked with elementary and middle school students to explore the string family and music composition.

Students participated in the “Composer Game” which includes small-group graphic notation activities to experience the connection between written gestures and sound. Through augmentations to various gestures, students learned about dynamics, articulation, tempo, and musical space and time.

Media Sponsorship from Classical WETA 90.9 FM

We partnered with Classical WETA 90.9 FM, DC’s local classical music station. WETA recorded the Glenstone recital for their Sunday night program “Front Row Washington”.

A workshop of “Moonshot” was featured on "Classical Breakdown,” WETA’s podcast hosted by John Banther. The episode featured a performance of the work and an interview with the composer and quartet.

Alistair Coleman was inspired by paintings of On Kawara on display at the Glenstone Museum in Potomac, MD. The artwork is a series of "date paintings" that were created on the days of the Apollo 11 launch, moon landing, and return journey.