Sky Full of Ghosts, A

Cody Holmes’ A Sky Full Of Ghosts is a challenging and exciting keyboard percussion ensemble. Written for 7 players, this ensemble offers many technical challenges and offers beautiful ensemble moments that will create a wonderful experience for both the performers and the audience.

Commissioned by the University of Texas at Arlington Percussion Ensemble, A Sky Full Of Ghosts is inspired by the night sky and the incredible celestial events that happen in far-away solar systems within our galaxy and the universe. The title was derived from the documentary series, The Cosmos, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Many of the stars that light up the night sky have reached the end of their life cycle and we are only receiving their light now due to the massive distance between their solar systems and ours. The event in which a star reaches the end of its life and ultimately collapses, called a supernova, is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, and would be an incredible feature to witness from Earth. My attempt with this ensemble was to portray the moment that a supernova could be witnessed from Earth and the amazement it would bring to the world, as well as capture the point of view of the chaos it would create within that star’s system. This imagery is depicted by the different phases of this piece through sweeping marimba passages, smooth and flowing melodies, deep silence, and an exciting build to the end.