KU School of Music at the Kennedy Center

The University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, conducted by Paul W. Popiel, and Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Dan Gailey, combined to perform this new work, commissioned by Reach Out Kansas, Inc. As part of Chancellor Douglas Girod's inauguration events, a Chancellor's Concert and Kennedy Center preview was given Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center of Kansas. 

Walczyk drew inspiration from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address, Four Freedoms, which identified freedom from fear as a fundamental human right. Underscoring the piece will be shoreline images that speak to courage in the face of violence, such as the 2015 photograph, Humanity Washed Ashore, of the 3-year old Syrian refugee, Aylan Kurdi, whose body was found on the beach in Turkey after his boat capsized; three American soldiers who died at Buna Beach during World War II; and immigrants arriving at the Statue of Liberty, in reference to Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, The New Colossus.

Walczyk explains, “The entire work is unified by the concept of freedom from fear as attributed to displaced peoples. Each movement obtains its concept from an image (photograph, painting, or even an image conjured in one’s mind) that has a connection to the shoreline.”

Freedom from Fear and Palos Nuevos are legacy projects of Reach Out Kansas, Inc. Legacy projects are driven by an extraordinary vision and a desire to create something truly transformative, that will impact the world for generations to come.