Christopher Tin’s To Shiver the Sky: An Inside Look
Saturday August 29, 2020 • 7 p.m. ET • YouTube Live
An online event exploring the call of the heavens, the history of flight, exploration, courage, and the birth of an oratorio: To Shiver the Sky
Danielle de Niese
soprano
Christopher Tin
conductor
The United States Air Force Band
Colonel Don Schofield, Commander and Conductor
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson
Launch Director, John F. Kennedy Space Center
Dr. Michelle Thaller
Astrophysicist and Astronomer – NASA
Jenny Bilfield
President & CEO, Washington Performing Arts
Originally scheduled as a live, world premiere concert in Washington, D.C. in May 2020, the event has been re-imagined and re-shaped into a new online format of music, interviews and live Q&A. No payment or advance registration is required for the event on Saturday, August 29 at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. CT). Viewers can bookmark and watch it here.
To Shiver the Sky is an oratorio about humankind’s quest to conquer the heavens and the history of flight. Told through the words of 11 of our greatest astronomers, inventors, visionaries and pilots, the work offers the chance to hear from Christopher Tin (in words, music and film) his inspiration for setting to music our relentless need to explore the universe, defy our earthly bonds and ultimately claim our place among the stars.
Tin joins forces with soprano Danielle de Niese and the United States Air Force Band in a world-premiere performance of “Courage”—a filmed movement from To Shiver the Sky created especially for this event—setting to music the words of Amelia Earhart, American aviation pioneer, author, and equal-rights advocate.
The program also includes contributions from two major figures in aviation and exploration: Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Launch Director (NASA) at John F. Kennedy Space Center; and Dr Michelle Thaller, Astrophysicist and Astronomer (NASA), Goddard Space Flight Center.
The event continues with a live interview between Tin and Washington Performing Arts President & CEO Jenny Bilfield, reflecting on the themes of To Shiver the Sky and the reimagining of this event from a traditional concert to a novel online experience, and concludes with a live Q&A.
“I’d like this music, and the album, to be a reminder of an era when humanity could pull together to achieve the incredible. We believed in our own greatness. We believed in our ability to solve the scourge of World Wars, to cure diseases, and to break the bonds of Earth. We were once great, and we can be great again.
“It’s awful that live music isn’t possible at the moment but, true to our nature, we find ways to overcome obstacles. And we hope that the internet can democratize the viewing experience for all to share.” (Christopher Tin)
