Frank Ticheli is a superstar composer in the world of Wind Music. Performers, audiences, and reviewers love the optimism, energy, and spontaneity of his music. Yet Professor of Composition at USC Tikeli must also teach the creative process. His observations offer insight into his works.

Professor Carol traces the path of film music up to the famous scores of master composer John Williams. His ability to use "just a few notes" to intensify drama has captured our imaginations for four decades.

Tchaikovsky's music holds a sacred place in Russian culture. Dmitri Shostakovich said, "Without Tchaikovsky we could not endure our sorrows." Professor Carol examines his Fifth Symphony and considers his life, his personal struggles, and his professional successes.

Works Discussed: Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 4, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Queen of Spades

Professor Carol considers the question "What is Music of the American Spirit?" by considering themes across two centuries of American choral repertoire. She discusses the history, customs, and geography of America that inspire our diverse choral music, from Colonial times to the present, emphasizing texts of John Stirling Walker and Eric Johns, tunebooks and hymnals, liturgy, folk song, and spirituals.

Works Discussed: Leonard Bernstein: Mass; Aaron Copland: The Tender Land; Randall Thompson: "Alleluia"; choral works by David Conte, Hubert Bird, Ned Rorem, William Billings, and Stephen Paulus.

John Gibson's choral work "Mockingbird Sings" utilizes Native American texts of the Yuma Zuni, Laguna, and Apache tribes. The title refers to the individual charged with remembering events and traditions and his recounting of this oral history in songs and stories. In this interview, Gibson explains his approach to setting these unusual texts to music and factors that distinguish American music from its European roots.

The Arts District Chorale performs "Mockingbird Sings."

Works Discussed: John Gibson's "Mockingbird Sings"