AURŌRAE

Composed 2022

Duration: 9 1/2 minutes | Grade 4 Concert Band

The Auroras, glowing streams of light dancing in the nocturnal sky, have lit up the northern and southern hemispheres for thousands of years. Their colorful movement illuminates the dead of night like magic and never ceases to amaze us. Many civilizations and people have tried to tell their stories and origins and imitate the phenomena in art. And there are many music compositions inspired by these lights. This composition’s aim is to capture its magic, its command of color, how it moves in the air, and its impressive, seemingly-supernatural resolve.

I myself have not seen the aurora borealis or aurora australis in person, but I want to. Just learning about them and watching it them on videos gives me various different emotions, ranging from wonder to sadness. But, of the list of emotions hope, awe, and meaningfulness are the most powerful. And while I cannot completely understand how these lights come to be, I can definitely feel its breathtaking influence. The desire to glow, motivate, and change the concept of human connections and love, just like these auroras, is how I want to affect people when they interact with me. I want to be seen as more than just a glimmer of positivity. But someone who inspires to be more than nothing.

I was compelled to write a composition about these events, especially after learning that around October 28, 2021, the aurora borealis could potentially be seen from the light-polluted New Jersey sky. I have always been fascinated by these natural gifts and as a faithful and devout catholic, nothing else (not religious in itself) has ever made me sense God’s warmth and love than the auroras. Which is why I naming this piece Aurōrae, which is also Latin for “northern lights”, though the piece is really about both the northern and southern lights. I really hope to see them one day.