Artemis
Program note
Artemis is a symphonic poem written to commemorate the Artemis II mission by NASA, launched on April 1st, 2026. This mission represents a rare and defining moment in our lifetimes—the point at which humanity’s ambition to become a multiplanetary species begins to take tangible form. Watching the launch unfold was an experience filled with anticipation, but it was ultimately the imagery of the mission that left the deepest impression on me. When I first encountered the photograph that now serves as the cover of this piece, I immediately felt compelled to translate its atmosphere into music.
Rather than depicting a single image, however, Artemis evolved into a fully programmatic work, tracing the emotional and symbolic arc of the entire mission.
The piece opens with a tense, almost restrained energy. A militaristic drum pattern underpins the texture, reflecting the nervous anticipation of the moments before liftoff. This tension is suddenly released by a bold, fanfare-like motif, signaling the launch itself. Swirling figures in the flutes and strings follow, interwoven with subtle quotations of the national anthems of the United States and Canada—an acknowledgment of the international collaboration behind the mission.
As the spacecraft reaches orbit, the music collapses into stillness. A quiet, lyrical passage emerges in the solo strings: the Earth theme. Nostalgic and introspective, it reflects both the beauty of our home and the emotional weight of leaving it behind. This theme is a variation on the main idea from the fourth movement of Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, a reference that may resonate with attentive listeners. Gradually, the theme is passed across the orchestra, thinning and dissolving as the spacecraft departs Earth’s orbit and turns toward the Moon.
A solo violin, now supported by the winds, marks this transition. From this texture emerges the Moon theme, accompanying the astronauts’ approach and flyby. A more delicate version follows in the strings, evoking the stillness and distance of the lunar surface. This section draws inspiration from the closing passages of Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, both in its harmonic language and its sense of suspended resolution.
As the journey turns homeward, the Moon theme returns in full, but now expanded. A new fragment is introduced—subtly influenced by George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. This addition carries a sense of farewell, though not a final one—suggesting that this voyage is only the beginning of a longer human presence beyond Earth.
The Earth theme re-emerges, gradually gaining strength as it moves through the orchestra, building toward the work’s climax. With reentry, the earlier swirling figures in the flutes and strings return, joined once more by fragments of the anthems and the opening fanfare. The piece concludes in a burst of orchestral color, capturing both the triumph of return and the enduring momentum of exploration.