The Music That Makes Us

• Jessie Montgomery — Source Code

• Annie Gosfield — The Blue Horse Walks on the Horizon

• Florence Price — Summer Moon

• Augusta Read Thomas — Helix Spirals

Every life begins with a code.

DNA explores the musical threads that connect us to our ancestors, our communities, and one another. Jessie Montgomery's Source Code opens the program by imagining the artistic and cultural DNA that shapes each generation of musicians, weaving together echoes of the past with a vibrant contemporary voice.

Annie Gosfield's The Blue Horse Walks on the Horizon expands that conversation into an imaginative sound world where memory, landscape, and innovation converge. Florence Price's luminous Summer Moon offers a moment of quiet reflection, illuminating the beauty of the natural world while honoring the rich musical heritage that continues to inspire generations.

The program culminates with Augusta Read Thomas's Helix Spirals, inspired by the elegant geometry of the DNA double helix. Spiraling lines, brilliant colors, and ever-evolving musical ideas bring the evening to a thrilling conclusion, celebrating creativity as a living force that is constantly growing, adapting, and renewing itself.

Together, these works remind us that identity is never fixed. Like DNA itself, it is living, evolving, and continually shaped by the stories we inherit and the ones we choose to create.

This concert is free with a suggested donation of $20 to support the St. Mark’s Music Series.