The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Music Director

Hannibal completes his tenure as composer-in-residence with the world premiere of Healing Tones, an homage to the pre-Columbian nations of the Americas and to his great grandmother, a Cherokee shaman and survivor of the Trail of Tears. The three-movement oratorio is a creation story with an original text by the composer, and is inspired by his own personal spirituality. The work features three main characters—the Everlasting, the Eternal Mother, and a Shaman—accompanied by orchestra and full chorus. Healing Tones is the culmination of Hannibal's three-year immersion in our community as The Philadelphia Orchestra's composer-in-residence. The text and music are reflections of his many interactions with Philadelphians of all backgrounds. Hannibal has served as a unifying presence in community centers, schools, shelters, and prisons. In his own words: “I want to set people's spirits free with this work. Just as it sets me free.”

Yannick continues his complete cycle of the Sibelius symphonies with the Second. Seen as an appeal to Finnish patriotism at a time of Russian oppression, it remains the composer's most popular symphony.