Amanda Lee Falkenberg's
COMPOSER'S COLLECTION
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An Epic Journey Across the Outer Solar System
Instrumentation
Triple winds • Four horns • Three trumpets • Three trombones • Tuba • Timpani • Five percussion • Two harps • Celesta • Strings • SATB Choir •
Treble Soloist (Young Boy) • Tenor Soloist
3.3.3.3 / 4.3.3.1 / Timp. 5 Perc. 2 Hp. Cel. / Str.
SATB Choir / Treble Soloist (Young Boy), Tenor Soloist
Composed 2020 • 45 minutes • 7 movements • Chorus & Orchestra
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While examples of space-inspired art music goes back to at least Gustav HOLST The Planets…
Amanda Lee Falkenberg’s THE MOONS SYMPHONY™ is one of the most extraordinary achievements in space-inspired music, and perhaps the first to be accomplished in
direct collaboration with astronomers and scientists
The Beauty of Space Art
Springer
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OTHER FORMATS
A 22-minute orchestral journey across the seven moons of our Solar System, featuring the most iconic orchestral moments from THE MOONS SYMPHONY—presented without choir.
Ideal as a compelling standalone concert work, with optional award-winning immersive space visuals.
A 22-minute symphonic and
choral journey featuring the most
iconic moments from
THE MOONS SYMPHONY.
Ideal for showcasing chorus and orchestra, with optional award-winning immersive space visuals.
Extend the concert experience beyond the stage.
Optional enhancements include:
• Astronaut and scientist guest speakers
• LUNAR student workshops
• Art, science and community events
• Curriculum-linked education resources
Ideal for festivals, orchestras and presenting venues.
Watch
Recording Highlights
Recording Highlights • London
3 minutes
Recording Highlights • London
10 Minutes
Milestones
2022
London Symphony Orchestra records
THE MOONS SYMPHONY™ with Marin Alsop.
2024
Conductor's score
lands on the
Moon aboard IM-1 Odysseus
2024
Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs
THE MOONS Symphonic Suite with Marin Alsop.
2026
NEPA Philharmonic presents THE MOONS Choral Suite with
Mélisse Brunet.
2027
World Premiere of the complete THE MOONS SYMPHONY™ with the Reno Philharmonic & Chorus.
Sea trilogy
orchestra and female choir
10 Minutes
Composed 2009 - 2012
Instrumentation
Piccolo • 2 Flutes • 2 Oboes • 2 Clarinets • Bass Clarinet • 2 Bassoons • Contrabassoon
4 Horns • 2 Trumpets • 2 Trombones • Tuba
• Timpani • 4 Percussion • 2 Harps • Celesta • Strings • SSA Choir
Picc. 2.2.2+Bcl.2+Cbsn / 4.2.2.1 / Timp. 4 Perc. 2 Hp. Cel. / Str. / SA Choir
Listen
Dur: 2:40
Dur: 3:10
Dur: 2:35
Experience
FULL SCORE
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Piano & Choral Scores
About
World Premiere • London Film Orchestra • 2017
Sea Trilogy is the opening chapter of Sea to Space concert —
From Earths Ocean to Distant Moons
To celebrate the return of Earthlings to Earth's Moon - Artemis IV
A cinematic concert experience that begins in Earth’s oceans and ascends
toward the far reaches of our solar system.
This multi-sensory journey sets the stage for THE MOONS SYMPHONY™, guiding audiences from the mysteries of our own blue planet to the ocean worlds of Europa, Titan, and Enceladus.
★★★★★
We were absolutely delighted to premiere the Sea Trilogy by
Amanda Lee Falkenberg at our Summer Film Music Gala.
The Sea Trilogy was number ONE audience favorite at the GALA
Rosi Dusheva - London Film Orchestra Founder 2017
Watch
Music with Cinematic Ocean Imagery
II - Coral Garden Dance
Soundtrack
Film Production • Paul Myer Hopkins
Video Footage • OpenPlanet.org
Awards • Reviews
GREAT AMERICAN
SONG CONTEST
HOLLYWOOD MUSIC
AND MEDIA AWARDS
GREAT AMERICAN
SONG CONTEST
WINNER
Instrumental
2017
BEST NEW
COMPOSER
NOMINATION
2009
FINALIST
Instrumental
2017
There are some brilliant ideas throughout this piece. The impressive instrumentation and orchestral arrangement comes across beautifully.
It’s always refreshing to hear and review instrumentals of this caliber. This stirring instrumental composition really stands out! Congratulations!
"As one of the judges of the Hollywood Music Awards I felt compelled to reach out and say BRAVO. From Tim Burton to 100’s of other scores, this work is stellar!”
Suzanne Hilleary
Music Licenser | Supervisor WACBIZ (New York)
"This intensely cinematic arrangement really stands out among the front runners in this category.
Falkenberg impressively navigate between styles and has the enviable ability to balance lightness with intensity.
This most certainly is well written and has an arrangement that keeps things moving
-Falkenberg clearly knows how to make an impact.”
Crossing of the Crescent Moon
a concerto for piano and orchestra
10 - minutes
Composed 2017
Instrumentation
Triple winds • Four horns • Three trumpets • Three trombones • Tuba • Timpani
• Five percussion • Harp • Piano • Strings
4[1.2.pic.afl] 2[1.2/Eh] 3[1.2.bcl] 3[1.2.cbn]/433[1.2.btbn]1/timp+5perc hrp/pno/str
"This ten-minute concerto marks Amanda Lee Falkenberg's first musical journey toward the moon.
Composed after two decades living in the Middle East, Crossing of the Crescent Moon became the artistic seed that ultimately blossomed into her landmark work, THE MOONS SYMPHONY™
Listen
Experience
Full Score
two piano four hands
FULL SCORE
Watch
Watch the final moments of the World Premiere Recording
London Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop, conductor • Anna Tsybuleva, piano
St Luke's, London • 2022
"Crossing of the Crescent Moon explores an energetic interplay between
darkness and light—a musical meditation on hope, transformation,
and the first appearance of a new moon."
Piano Trio
La Cascade de Borrowdale Lodore
A symphonic tone poem for piano trio
Flute, Violin & Piano
Composed by Amanda Lee Falkenberg, 2015
10-minutes
Inspired by Robert Southey's celebrated poem "The Cataract of Lodore"
Listen
Lodore Trio
Pam Pecko Smith, Flute
Margaret Roberts, Piano
Heather Brit, Violin
"Absolutely beautiful! So atmospheric!"
Experience
FULL SCORE
About the Work
Inspired by Robert Southey's famous 1820 poem The Cataract of Lodore, this atmospheric tone poem captures the playful energy, shimmering colours and ever-changing movement of one of England's most celebrated waterfalls.
Rather than attempting to illustrate the poem literally, the music responds to Southey's extraordinary cascade of descriptive language, translating his vivid imagery into musical textures, flowing melodies and sparkling dialogue between the flute, violin and piano.
A Tribute to Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel has long been one of Amanda Lee Falkenberg's greatest artistic influences.
His extraordinary ability to paint vivid landscapes through orchestral colour
and musical texture inspired the dedication of this work.
Like Ravel, Falkenberg seeks to tell stories through sound—allowing music to become a canvas upon which landscapes, emotions and nature come vividly to life
Duration
8 minutes
Instrumentation
Flute
Violin
Piano
Mood
Atmospheric
Impressionistic
Flowing
Commissioned
Commissioned by the Lodore Trio
Ideal For
Chamber concerts
Literary festivals
Dance collaboration
Arts festivals
Performances and Discography
21 Jun 2017 • Lodore Ensemble, at St. Olave, Hart Street (UK)
15 Nov 2016 • Water and Rememberance, at St Cyprian's Church (UK) [World premiere]
Featured on CD
ALBUM
Cascade
The Lodore Trio
July 15 2018
Accolades
Dedicated to Maurice Ravel, this work was selected as a Finalist and awarded a Special Mention in the 2016 International Maurice Ravel Composition Competition (Italy).
Edge of the World
30-minute Ballet Commission for Piano and Orchestra
Composed by Amanda Lee Falkenberg, 2003
One of Amanda Lee Falkenberg's earliest orchestral commissions.
Instrumentation
2 Flutes (2nd doubling Piccolo) • Oboe • Cor Anglais • 2 Clarinets in B♭ • Bassoon
2 Horns • 2 Trumpets
Piano • Strings
2(2.pic).1.ca.2.1 / 2.2.0.0 / Chimes • Triangle • Cymbals • Glockenspiel / Piano / Strings
About the World Premiere
Antony Walker • Conductor
Leigh Warren and Dancers • Dance Company
Amanda Lee Falkenberg • Piano Soloist
Barossa Music Festival Orchestra • Orchestra
Marnie Wark • Visual Artist & Projection Design
Peter Lehmann Winery • Venue
Amanda Lee Falkenberg • Composer (2003)
Listen
Live Audio Recording (2003)
Explore
FULL SCORE
A Defining Early Work
Edge of the World marked Amanda Lee Falkenberg's first large-scale collaboration between orchestra, dance and projected visual art. Many of the interdisciplinary ideas first explored in this production would later evolve into works such as Sea Trilogy and ultimately THE MOONS SYMPHONY™.
Critical Reception • Composer's Notes
"Powerfully dramatic... enormously impressive."
"Falkenberg's exciting work, skilfully orchestrated.
Art Projection
Future Productions
Originally conceived as a collaboration between music, dance and projected visual art, Edge of the World featured abstract paintings by Australian artist Marnie Wark
displayed on a full-stage scrim.
Amanda Lee Falkenberg welcomes each new production as an opportunity for a fresh choreographic and visual interpretation, allowing the work to evolve while
remaining true to the dramatic narrative of the score.
The original production featured abstract projections by Australian artist Marnie Wark on a full-stage scrim, with the orchestra and piano performing behind.
BALLET of the BEES
A Proposed Symphonic Ballet
20 minutes
Set within the extraordinary hidden world of the honey bee, Ballet of the Bees explores one of nature's most sophisticated societies through music, dance and visual storytelling.
Inspired by real bee behaviour, the ballet follows the life of a colony through moments of discovery, sacrifice, conflict and renewal, celebrating both the beauty and fragility of the natural world.
Time Line
I
II
III
IV
Research • Scenario
Musical Development
Choreographic Workshops
Rehearsals
World Premiere
V
Running time
Duration 20 minutes
Scored for Symphony orchestra
Dancers - TBD
Estimated development time
2–years
About the Ballet
Inspiration
Honey bees sustain much of the life we depend upon. Through pollination they support ecosystems, agriculture, biodiversity and ultimately ourselves. Yet despite their extraordinary importance, bee populations around the world face unprecedented challenges.
Ballet of the Bees was conceived as a celebration of these remarkable creatures. Inspired by their astonishing intelligence, complex social structure and intricate communication, the ballet seeks to reveal the hidden drama unfolding inside every hive.
Like THE MOONS SYMPHONY, the work is rooted in science, but transformed through music into an emotional human story. Where THE MOONS SYMPHONY invited audiences to look outward and marvel at our place in the universe, Ballet of the Bees invites us to look downward—to rediscover the extraordinary world that exists beneath our very feet.
Ultimately, both works ask the same question:
How can wonder inspire us to become better custodians of the worlds we inhabit?
BALLET of the BEES
Production Scope
Ballet of the Bees is envisioned as a new 20-minute symphonic ballet for professional dancers and symphony orchestra. Designed as a self-contained concert work, it combines music, dance and visual storytelling while offering the flexibility to be programmed alongside existing orchestral repertoire.
The overall production would involve:
• Composition of an original 20 minute orchestral score
• Scenario development and dramaturgy
• Choreography
• Costume and scenic design
• Lighting and projection design
• Orchestra, dancers and production personnel
• Workshop and rehearsal period prior to the world premiere
Stage Design • light, translucent scrims, abstract honeycomb geometry, and lighting to transform the space rather than relying on large scenic elements.
The precise scale of the production would be developed collaboratively
with the commissioning organization.
Story Overview
Act I
Act II
Act III
The Hive Awakens
Threats
Renewal
The audience is introduced to the bustling life of a thriving colony. Scout bees search for new meadows while the aging queen prepares the colony for its future.
Death's-head Hawkmoths infiltrate the hive. Giant hornets attack. Internal tensions arise as rival queens emerge.
The new queen undertakes her nuptial flight. A new colony is established, offering hope for the future.
Why This Ballet, Why Now?
Much as THE MOONS SYMPHONY arrived at a moment of renewed lunar exploration, Ballet of the Bees arrives at a time when pollinator conservation, biodiversity and our relationship with the natural world have become global concerns.
Honey bees are among nature's most remarkable collaborators, quietly sustaining ecosystems through pollination while facing unprecedented environmental pressures. Through music and dance, Ballet of the Bees celebrates their extraordinary world, inviting audiences to rediscover these tiny creatures with a renewed sense of wonder
"A ballet inspired by one of nature's greatest masterpieces."
Moving with Music
Original Ballet Class Music (2001–2005)
Before becoming known for her large-scale orchestral and choral works, Amanda Lee Falkenberg spent many years composing and performing for the dance community. This culminated in the release of the three-volume Moving With Music collection, featuring more than 120 original piano compositions written specifically for ballet class.
