“And the Cities Rise Like Dreams” was commissioned by the University of Nevada, Reno in celebration of the University’s 150th anniversary. In April 2023, I visited the campus and spent time in the University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives, hoping to find inspiration for the piece, and in particular, the text for the choir.
Combing through hundreds of archival books over two days, I came across many fascinating materials from Nevada and other parts of the West. I ended up finding three poems in particular that really resonated with me and spoke to the grandeur and beauty of the western landscape. In thinking about these poems, I decided that perhaps the piece could tell a story of the American West’s landscape and its growth from a quiet wilderness to a bustling region.
The three poems, all published in the 1920s, are “Nevada Night” by M. Genevieve Williams, written while a student at the University of Nevada, Reno; “Lights of the West” by Jack Sinclair, also a Nevada-based poet, and “The Queen of the Purple Mist (A Ballad of the New Nevada)” by Clarence Eddy, an Oregon born poet-prospector who lived much of his life in Idaho.
To signify the growth and success of the West, I decided to use the metaphor of a sunrise. The beginning of the music – and the text – tells the story of a quiet and peaceful night. This quiet night symbolizes the early West, before the monumental rise of cities throughout the region. As the music progresses, it slowly builds as the light of day begins to break. By the fanfare-like conclusion of the work, the text and music have brought us fully into the light of day, the shining and successful present of the West.
Steve Danyew (left), award-winning American composer and educator, and Reed Chamberlin (right), School of Music director of bands.
University students (above) in the Nevada Wind Ensemble and Concert and Chamber Choirs performed “And the Cities Rise Like Dreams” April 19, 2024, in Nightingale Concert Hall.
The following day, the students performed again, this time in the recording studio. To hear the recording, please visit:
NevadaSchoolOfMusic on Instagram.
Courtesy Reed Chamberlin
