Dorothy Gates - Servant of Peace Mvt 2 "The Cup," Hana Beloglavec and Liz Ames

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Dorothy Gates currently resides in New York where she is the Senior Music Producer for the Salvation Army’s Eastern Territory and is employed as the first woman Composer/Editor of the New York Salvation Staff Band since 2002. Her works include pieces for brass quintet, brass ensemble, and this work, Servant of Peace – originally for trombone and chamber orchestra, rearranged for trombone and piano.

Written for Thomas Hultén, Servant of Peace is about Swedish diplomat and former Secretary-General of the U.N., Dag Hammarskjöld. Hammarskjöld was a religious man and pushed for and helped design the Meditation Room at the U.N., which was opened in 1957.

I personally connect with how distinct each of the movements of this piece is. The second movement, “The Cup,” recalls a meditation room like the one he helped design – it’s serene and lyrical, but also has a powerful moment in the middle before relaxing away to its conclusion.

Filmed by Overneath Creative
Recorded by Paul Schaedig and Western Sound Studios
Produced by Steve Wolfinbarger
Bayou Home, Summit Records
Funding provided by State of Louisiana Board of Regents ATLAS grant