Golden Hour by Cait Nishimura

Performed live on May 13th, 2023 as part of Christopher Keach's first Doctoral Recital.

Golden Hour by Cait Nisihimura

Piano, Alex Shafirov


Program Notes:

Cait Nishimura, born in 1991, is a Japanese Canadian composer based in Waterloo, Ontario. Known for writing nature-inspired, programmatic music, Nishimura has established herself as a prominent voice in the concert band community. She wrote Golden Hour originally for French Horn and piano through a consortium led by Matthew Anderson who later premiered the work. Since its composition, it has been adapted for instruments including clarinet, tuba, and trumpet; the trumpet version was dedicated to Dylan Maddix.

On Golden Hour, Nishimura writes, “The ‘golden hour’ is the last hour of light before sunset. The early ideas for this piece came to me during a long drive from New York City to Toronto. We had left the NYC area in time to drive through the rolling hills of upstate New York during this magical time of day. We were treated to an incredible display of colours dancing among the clouds and golden light just pouring over the area and warming our faces. I let the ideas sit for several months, until experiencing a similar drive on the opposite side of the continent in Yosemite National Park.

Driving up to the lookout at Glacier Point, we weren’t sure if we would make it to the top in time for sunset. It felt like a race against time, trying to ascend the steep mountain roads before the sun made its descent below the horizon. When we arrived at the lookout, it was as if the sky was on fire (see the cover image on this score!) The next few minutes led to a beautiful and calm glow before fading into dusk. The music in Golden Hour represents both of these memorable sunset experiences.”