Since 1997, Friends of Chamber Music has been presenting a full season of concerts and outreach programs by world-class musicians yearly, aiming to enrich the quality of life, entertain, and inspire.
23/24 SEASON SPONSORS
HAYS & ROBIN GLOVER
SCHOOL OF PERFORMANCE, VISUALIZATION & FINE ARTS at TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
2024 Solar Eclipse Project
Solar Science, New Music & Fun!
APRIL 8, 2024, MONDAY, 1 PM
ON THE GREEN AT CENTURY SQUARE
In case of rain event will take place in the Ballroom on the first floor of The George hotel
FREE EVENT
Season Sponsors of the 2023/24 Concert Series of FCM
ROBIN & HAYS GLOVER
Solar Eclipse Project Sponsors
RANDALL LIGHT
MARK SPEARMAN
Astronomical Wonder and Musical Creativity Merge in Real Time:
"Prelude & Fanfare for Solar Eclipse 2024"
at Century Square
This unique 2024 Solar Eclipse Project will connect a rare astronomical event and performance of a new composition commissioned by Friends of Chamber Music in real time!
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WHAT TO EXPECT AT THIS EVENT
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Educational Talk by a member of Brazos Valley Astronomy Club
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NASA Live Stream of total solar eclipse on TV screens
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World Premiere of "Prelude & Fanfare for Solar Eclipse 2024” by David Wilborn
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FREE Solar Glasses for the first 200 guests
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Limited Seating
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98,3% Totality in College Station
A world premiere of “Prelude & Fanfare for Solar Eclipse 2024” by David Wilborn of Texas A&M University, commissioned by FCM specially for the 2024 Solar Eclipse Project, will take place on The Green at Century Square in College Station at the time of a partial solar eclipse, as we watch the skies darkening and coming back to light.
With David Wilborn and his ensemble on stage, the first part of the composition, “Prelude,” will be performed during the time of progressive darkening and before the period of approximately 5 minutes when the maximum totality in College Station reaches the highest point of 98.3%. The second part of the composition, “Fanfare,” will follow immediately after, welcoming light back to Bryan-College Station.
The Solar Eclipse Project 2024 has been created by Friends of Chamber Music in close collaboration with and generously sponsored by Randall Light, Mark Spearman, and Brazos Valley Astronomy Club.
https://www.brazosvalleyastronomyclub.org/
The authorship of the 2024 Solar Eclipse Project idea belongs to Andreas Kronenberg, President of Friends of Chamber Music Board and professor of geology and geophysics at Texas A&M University.
More information and updates can be found at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofChamberMusic and
SOME FACTS
BASICS OF SOLAR ECLIPSE
Solar eclipses occur when the Sun, the Moon, and Earth line up, either partially or fully. Depending on how they align, eclipses provide a unique, exciting view of either the Sun or the Moon.
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A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth that either fully or partially blocks the Sun’s light in some areas. This only happens occasionally, because the Moon doesn’t orbit in the exact same plane as the Sun and Earth do. The time when they are aligned is known as “eclipse season,” which happens twice a year.
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A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. People located in the center of the Moon’s shadow when it hits Earth will experience a total solar eclipse. The sky will darken, as if it were dawn or dusk. Weather permitting, people in the path of a total solar eclipse can see the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, which is otherwise usually obscured by the bright face of the Sun.
A total solar eclipse is the only type of solar eclipse where viewers can momentarily remove their eclipse glasses for the brief period of time when the Moon is completely blocking the Sun.
All astronomical information on this site has been generously provided by the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club
Experience The Music
Voyager 1’s Pale Blue Dot
WHAT IS THE PALE BLUE DOT?
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The Pale Blue Dot is an iconic photograph of Earth taken on Feb. 14, 1990, by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft.
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Voyager 1 was speeding out of the solar system — beyond Neptune and about 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) from the Sun — when mission managers commanded it to look back toward home for a final time. It snapped a series of 60 images that were used to create the first “family portrait” of our solar system.
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The picture that would become known as the Pale Blue Dot shows Earth within a scattered ray of sunlight. Voyager 1 was so far away that — from its vantage point — Earth was just a point of light about a pixel in size.
"PALE BLUE DOT: A VISION OF THE HUMAN FUTURE IN SPACE" by CARL SAGAN
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The image inspired the title of scientist Carl Sagan's book, "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space," in which he wrote: "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us."