Golijov Debuts New Composition at Special Olympics Opening Ceremony

A new work by Osvaldo Golijov, internationally renowned composer and Loyola Professor of Music at the College of the Holy Cross, was part of a spectacular performance — with full participation from the audience — at Shanghai Stadium as part of the Special Olympics 2007 Summer World Games Opening Ceremony in Shanghai, China on Oct. 2.

Each audience member was given a flute when they arrived at the stadium. During Golijov’ song, titled “Kuai Le,” the audience played five notes (for each Olympic ring) answering a theme (of many notes) played by cellist Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. Kuia Le means “joy” in Chinese, as joy is one of the themes of the Special Olympics.

The opening ceremonies also included 5,800 performers — musicians, dancers, motorcycles, and helicopters were all part of the mix.

So what do 90,000 flutes sound like?

“The 90,000 flutes sound like the Milky Way on fire,” says Golijov. “China is mind-boggling and the ceremony was incredibly moving and powerful.”

The ABC Family Channel broadcast the opening ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Cellist Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble joined Golijov in the performance. Ma is the founder and artistic director of the Silk Road Project, a not-for-profit arts and educational organization inspired by the interchange of culture and ideas along the historic Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that linked the people and traditions of Asia and Europe.

Golijov’s works — known for blending influences from many musical traditions to reflect the multicultural modern world — include the widely acclaimed retelling of the St. Mark Passion, the opera Ainadamar, song cycles (notably a set of folksongs titled Ayre), chamber music, and film scores. He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and was named Musical America’s 2006 Composer of the Year.

Earlier this year, Golijov won two Grammy awards in the categories of Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Contemporary Composition for Ainadamar (Fountains of Tears).

Related Information:

• Profile of Osvaldo Golijov