CREATIVE COLLABORATION: “Oh God…Beautiful Machine” brings together composer Vince di Mura, poet Yusef Komunyakaa, and artist John Gummere with the Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey in an ambitious program on October 25.
By Anne Levin
An ambitious new symphonic jazz work that celebrates the artistry of some locally-based cultural figures is the opening program of the coming season for The Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey. The orchestra will debut Oh God…Beautiful Machine at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton on October 25.
A collaboration of the orchestra with Yusef Komunyakaa, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, and Vince di Mura, resident music director and composer at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, the monumental piece includes full orchestra, jazz ensemble, traditional Chinese instrumentalists, and a women’s chorus.
The performance is a tribute to the late Larry Hilton, a dedicated supporter of the arts in Trenton who died suddenly on July 5. The project, described as “a reflection on environmental peril, resilience, and reverence for life on Earth,” was his idea.
“Larry had this brewing in his head for a long time,” said di Mura. “He asked Yusef to write a series of poems. At first, it was going to be just a jazz ensemble with members of the orchestra. Somehow it became a jazz ensemble and the entire orchestra. Yusef wanted to use more than just a single singer, so it was his idea that we employ a chorus. I just went along for the ride.”
Asked what the piece is, di Mura pointed out what it is not.
“It is not an activist protest work,” he said. “It is a very positive, very spiritual piece that tackles climate concerns and environmental concerns by simply asking the right questions. It’s a conversation with the audience. Musically, it is 10 large movements, and they are written in very different jazz vernaculars — which was not the intention. But I was responding to the text, and created a kind of diverse jazz vocabulary — Latin American vibes, fusion, blues, gospel.”
Sebastian Grand, who has been acting music director of the orchestra since former conductor Daniel Spalding stepped down last year, will lead the piece. He describes it as “ambitious and unusual. Often, contemporary compositions are confined to the periphery of a program,” he said. “To dedicate an entire concert is really rare, and very special.”
Members of the Capital Philharmonic usually don’t meet and rehearse until a week before a concert. “My responsibility is to pull it all together,” Grand said. “It’s always a fun challenge, and will be especially so this time because of the variety involved.”
Grand is among five finalists for the position of music director of the orchestra. The search, which has been underway for more than a year, began with 75 applicants interested in coming to Trenton.
“They were from every continent except Antarctica,” said Jill Aguayo, the orchestra’s executive director. “We narrowed it down to 10, including our current assistant conductor [Grand] and a guest conductor from last year. We did interviews with each one, so now we’re down to five.”
As is the custom in this type of search, each finalist gets a chance to work with the musicians and conduct a concert. Scheduled to lead the annual New Year’s Eve performance is Ruth Ochs, familiar to Princeton audiences from her work leading the Princeton University Sinfonia and the Westminster Community Orchestra. Ochs debuted with the Capital Philharmonic last fall. Kenneth Bean, assistant conductor of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey, is another finalist with a Princeton connection.
Sections of Oh God…Beautiful Machine that include lyrics and spoken word are in multiple languages “paying homage to visionaries such as Paul Robeson, Herbie Hancock, and Carlos Santana, and explore styles ranging from Native American and Afro-Caribbean influences to the swinging rhythms of Bossa Nova and the soul-stirring sounds of Mississippi Gospel,” reads a press release.
The piece is the second that Hilton created as a collaboration between di Mura and Komunyakaa. The first was Echoes of the Great Migration, an oratorio that is now turning into a theater piece and might be done at the New Federal Theatre in New York City in 2026, di Mura said.
Producing Oh God…Beautiful Machine “is an incredible act of courage for the Capital Philharmonic,” di Mura said. “This is an orchestra that wants to make a mark. They’re taking a gigantic risk, and that alone deserves the support.”
Oh God…Beautiful Machine is Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m., following a lecture by di Mura at 6:45 p.m. Visit capitalphilharmonic.org for ticket information.