for concert band
The piece was premiered on November 12, 2019, at the Sacra et Profana concert by the Indiana University Concert Band, conducted by Jason Nam, Assistant Professor at the Jacobs School of Music
Duration: 7’30”
Program notes
VV Cephei is an eclipsing binary star system located in the constellation Cepheus. The supergiant primary star of this system, VV Cephei A, is one of the largest known stars, with a radius estimated at 1,050–1,900 solar radii. Because VV Cephei A fills its Roche lobe, matter flows from the supergiant toward its companion, VV Cephei B, creating one of the most extreme and dynamic environments imaginable.
However, if there were even the slightest possibility of survival for a hypothetical planet orbiting VV Cephei, one could witness one of the most spectacular sunrises in the Universe. Composed in 2019 as part of the “Hammer & Nail” collaboration between the Band and Composition Departments at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, VV Cephei represents an attempt to create a musical image of this extraordinary phenomenon—one that humanity is unlikely ever to witness.