Pulitzer Prize winning composer Ellen Reid’s orchestral work Body Cosmic was commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Orchestre de Paris, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra which gives the West Coast US premiere at the Hollywood Bowl on September 4. James Gaffigan Conducts.
The French premiere, conducted by Klaus Mäkelä with the Orchestre De Paris is on December 10, then two days later Pekka Kuusisto conducts the Helsinki Philharmonic in the Finnish Premiere on December 12.
Praise for Body Cosmic:
"…composer Ellen Reid notes that it takes “light and shadow [to] explore the conundrum of bringing new life into the simultaneously beautiful and crumbling world”. She is referring to her experience of being pregnant and giving birth while undertaking a prestigious residency at the storied Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. But it could also serve as a metaphor for Sunday’s life-giving concert at Washington Performing Arts, which opened with her richly textured new orchestral work Body Cosmic…… Reid’s evocative sound-world, by turns evanescent and disturbing, liquid and filmic, was given space to breathe by the Concertgebouw, which has the collective intelligence to create unparalleled sonic subtleties."
- Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post - 25th November 2024
On September 25 in Los Angeles, the world premiere of Earth Between Oceans is unveiled. This 30-minute work from composer Ellen Reid for choir and and orchestra was specially commissioned by the LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel for his final season as Music & Artistic Director of the orchestra. The LA Master Chorale is the large wordless choir which Reid uses to add a dynamic timbre to the ensemble.
Earth Between Oceans is co-commissioned by The New York Philharmonic Orchestra where Dudamel takes his position as Music Director Designate for the 25-26 season and Music & Artistic Director beginning in 2026. He will conduct the New York premiere on April 30 2026.
Ellen writes “Earth Between Oceans celebrates the power of nature in conversation with the threats our environment faces. As a metaphor for the concurrent crises affecting our Earth, I captured field recordings while collecting plastic trash at beaches in Los Angeles (Venice, Santa Monica) and New York City (Rockaway Beach, Coney Island). These field recordings are woven throughout the work as connective tissue, a reminder that we live on a planet whose equilibrium is being challenged by our actions.
In this work, I took joy in exploring rhythm as a primary compositional element. In Earth, the meter accelerates through the movement, erupting in a guttural peak when the voices from the choir unite for the first time. In Air, a lack of consistent pulse creates a sense of endless space. In Fire, polyrhythms morph, cycle and grow, and in Water, the rhythm ebbs and flows like the currents of the ocean.”
Find out more about the world premiere here.
LA Phil Performance Dates
September 25-28, 2025
Walt Disney Concert Hall
NY Phil Performance Dates
April 30, May 1-2, 2026
Wu Tsai Theater
