ASTER is excited to open our Fall concert with Native Prayers a new work composed by Martha Yordy. Growing up in New Mexico she had the opportunity to understand the sacred relationship which Indigenous people have with the earth. Rhythms associated with Navajo music and poetry by members of the Ute and Sioux tribes inspired this piece which was commissioned by the choir.

The centerpiece of ASTER’s Fall concert will be Broomfield Composer Pete Simpson’s cantata “Sacagawea” who was inspired by Sacagawea's struggles, growth and accomplishments. Simpson says, "This piece takes a very personal look into her thoughts and feelings. The events are documented, but not a word she said was recorded, to my knowledge. So, the narration is invented, but most of the text is selected from various poems and songs of Native American nations and I feel they express what her emotions may have been."

Vickie Leigh Krudwig will share her journey as a visual artist whose work has been inspired by the stories of the Ute, Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe tribes and their connection to the Earth. She recently had a showing at the Ute Museum in Montrose.

Other music on the concert will include a set of Spanish lullabies accompanied by guitar, Cielito Lindo by Quirino Mendoza 7 Cortés, Besamé mucho and Cachito" by Consuelo Velasquez, A Beautiful Noise by Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlisle, and Still I Rise by the distinguished Black composer Rosephanye Powell.

Come early to bid on Themed Gift Baskets by Rocky Mountain Designs to raise funds for ASTER. Bid on your favorites and find some special gifts for the holidays.