A Richer Dust, the epic First Symphony of the English composer Nigel Clarke (1960) explores what it means to live with violence and extremism, the...

A Richer Dust, the epic First Symphony of the English composer Nigel Clarke (1960) explores what it means to live with violence and extremism, the constant companions of human history. The work intertwines words collated from a wide range of sources by the writer Malene Sheppard Skaeved with Clarke's music, weaving together ideas and images in fragments of text from both historically significant figures and voiceless, ordinary people. The dark and powerful atmosphere of the Symphony is prefaced by the bright and sassy sound of Clarke's Magritte-inspired Mysteries of the Horizon, a concerto for cornet and wind orchestra. Harmen Vanhoorne is an international cornet soloist from Belgium who has performed all over the world. He is known as an innovator for his instrument, commissioning composers from his own country and abroad on a regular basis, expanding the repertoire and further the profile of the cornet. H. Stephen Smith studied voice at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He studied privately with Nicolai Gedda and has since alongside such artists as June Anderson, Tom Krause and several others. He joined the music faculty at Middle Tennessee State University in 1998, where he serves as Professor of Voice. Dr. Reed Thomas is teh Director of Bands and a Professor of Conducting at Middle Tennessee State University. He is an avid supporter of new music, commissioning over 40 compositions since 2003.