Celestial Sounds

In Celestial Sounds: Music Inspired By the Cosmos and Planets, music journalist and historian Marc Shulgold returns with an accessible, entertaining program designed for the average music listener as well as longtime music lovers. Through guided introductions, composer backstories, historical context, performance clips, and striking visual imagery, guests will explore how music has captured the vastness, mystery, beauty, and drama of the cosmos.

The program includes music familiar to many from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, including the powerful fanfare from Richard Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra, a dramatic orchestral work inspired by the writings of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Guests will also hear the unexpected space-age elegance of Johann Strauss Jr.’s Blue Danube Waltz, along with Joseph Strauss’s Music of the Spheres. A centerpiece of the program is Gustav Holst’s beloved orchestral suite The Planets. Completed shortly before World War I and before Pluto’s discovery, this seven-movement work explores the planets through astrology, mythology, and vivid orchestral color. From the terrifying force of “Mars, the Bringer of War,” to the shimmering gentleness of “Venus,” to the exuberant joy of “Jupiter,” Holst’s music remains one of the most thrilling cosmic journeys ever written.

The program will also feature fascinating works by George Crumb, Alan Hovhaness, Hector Villa-Lobos, and Joaquín Rodrigo, the beloved blind Spanish composer best known for his guitar music. Rodrigo’s In Search of the Beyond, written for America’s Bicentennial, was inspired by his visit to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where he was able to handle moon rocks. Join us for a sweeping musical journey through stars, planets, imagination, and the enduring mystery of the universe — with plenty of great cosmic music to enjoy while we wait for answers from beyond.

We are grateful to Richard and Christie Frenchie, our Membership Program presenting sponsors, and their generous nature-related philanthropy in Geauga County!

About the Speaker: A native of Los Angeles, Marc Shulgold was a music journalist at the Los Angeles Times, and for the Rocky Mountain News. He taught music history at the University of Denver's adult enrichment program for over 20 years and is a contributor to Opera Magazine among other publications. Marc is a program annotator for University of Colorado concerts and a longtime speaker at the Vail summertime music festival.

Ticket price for the Music & Nature series is $10 - proceeds benefit conservation, park enhancement, and nature education in Geauga County through the Foundation for Geauga Parks.

This series is included in the Foundation for Geauga Parks Membership Program:

-Friend level receives 20% off.

-Member level participants may attend free.

-Member Plus level participants receive one free ticket AND a free ticket for a friend attending with you.

Make sure you're logged into the website and when you enter your information and select your tickets, the membership option you chose will be applied.

If the event is canceled or postponed, registered attendees will be notified promptly and we will make every effort to reschedule. Unless otherwise noted, registrations and ticket purchases are nonrefundable.