Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra presents “CCO & The Harp”
Featuring harpist Tasha Smith Godinez
Conducted by Diego Guerra
Sunday, October 18 at 4:00 PM
Incarnation Lutheran Church, Poway, California
Among the thousands of works written throughout the 20th century, some compositions seem to invite us into a different world—one of reflection, beauty, and quiet discovery. Alan Hovhaness’s Concerto for Harp and Strings, Op. 267 (1973) is one of those rare musical journeys. On October 18, the Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra will bring this captivating work to life, in a premier San Diego performance offering audiences the opportunity to experience one of Hovhaness’s most intimate and spiritually expressive compositions.
Written during the later period of Hovhaness’s remarkable career, the Concerto for Harp and Strings reflects the composer’s lifelong fascination with nature, ancient cultures, and the spiritual qualities of sound. Unlike many traditional concertos where the solo instrument battles against the orchestra in dramatic competition, Hovhaness creates a delicate conversation between harp and strings. The harp emerges almost as a voice from nature—shimmering, meditative, and mysterious—while the strings provide a warm and evolving landscape around it.
The concerto was composed in 1973, during an important transitional period in Hovhaness’s life. At the time, he was living in Seattle, surrounded by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest that had long inspired his imagination. The mountains, forests, and changing light of the region became a powerful influence on his music. This was also a period of deep artistic maturity, when Hovhaness was no longer searching for his musical identity but refining a unique language that blended Armenian heritage, Asian influences, and his own spiritual connection to the natural world.
The harp held a special attraction for Hovhaness. Its ancient history, delicate resonance, and ability to create both silence and sound made it a perfect instrument for his musical vision. Around this same period, he composed several works featuring the harp, suggesting that he was particularly inspired by the instrument’s unique voice. In the Concerto for Harp and Strings, the listener hears not simply a virtuoso showcase, but a meditation—a musical landscape where every note seems to have space and purpose.
The work’s fourth section, titled “Dawn in Paradise,” offers a glimpse into Hovhaness’s imagination. Throughout his career, he often used images of nature not merely as scenery, but as symbols of something deeper: renewal, harmony, and the connection between humanity and the universe. The music seems to awaken gradually, much like the first light appearing over a mountain landscape.
Hovhaness was a prolific composer, leaving behind more than 500 works, yet many of his compositions remain waiting to be rediscovered by new audiences. The Concerto for Harp and Strings represents one of the quieter treasures of his catalog—music that rewards both the first-time listener and those already familiar with his extraordinary creative world.
The Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra’s presentation of this work provides a wonderful opportunity to experience Hovhaness alongside two other remarkable composers: Claude Debussy’s Dances Sacred and Profane and Igor Stravinsky’s Apollon musagète: Apothéose. Together, these works create a program exploring the elegance, spirituality, and expressive possibilities of the harp and string orchestra.
Join harpist Tasha Smith Godinez, guest conductor Diego Guerra, and the Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra for an afternoon of discovery as they reveal the luminous world of Alan Hovhaness’s Concerto for Harp and Strings. It is an opportunity to hear a masterpiece that reflects the beauty of nature, the mystery of sound, and the enduring imagination of one of America’s most original composers.
