Shortly after approaching us, the RSNO invited Oundjian’s longstanding home orchestra in Canada to participate in the project. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra was enthusiastic about the idea and a partnership quickly formed.

Following two extensive, month-long photography stints across the Czech Republic in the early summer and in the fall, we had a large and diverse image library of more than 40,000 photos to begin choreographing the 80+ minute work, our longest multimedia piece to date. It became a visual journey through Smetana’s modern-day homeland, seamlessly blending the cities, landscapes, people and culture of today’s Czech Republic with the mood and character of each of the composer’s six symphonic poems.

The RSNO and TSO premiered the new concert piece Czech Journeys in March and April 2013, respectively. For the concerts in Scotland, the RSNO programmed an exciting series of back-to-back performances in Glasgow, Perth and Edinburgh, and set up an in-depth BBC radio interview leading up to the concerts.

The TSO organized a well-attended pre-concert talk to explore the creative process that led to the new concert piece. After the performance, several teary-eyed members of Toronto’s Czech community came over to tell us how wonderfully and authentically the multimedia piece illustrated their country.

The Grand Canyon is a multifaceted place, and the photographic process for the new concert piece spanned six separate trips to the canyon and surrounding areas. The first foray involved a 9-day rafting and camping trip down the impressive Colorado River in early spring to capture vantages and details only possible from the bottom of the canyon.

From several thousand feet higher, we explored the canyon’s gorgeous vistas from the distinctly different North and South rims, both displaying the famous grandeur that makes the Grand Canyon truly unique. Next, we ventured by sturdy 4×4 vehicle to the more remote stretches of the canyon rarely seen by visitors. One foray onto an isolated 60-mile dirt road involved an axle-pounding final 10 miles, but the experience and the incredible views we brought back to the concert hall were well worth a little vehicular distress.

In addition to the canyon itself, we branched out to photograph the remarkable Antelope slot canyon as well as neighboring Petrified Forest National Park, which were inspired by the colorful bars of Painted Desert. Lastly, to give audiences a special treat, we photographed a small local pick-up rodeo as well as the oldest working ranch in Arizona—both near the Grand Canyon—for the lively On the Trail movement.

Since the premieres in Arizona, our Grand Canyon Country concert piece has brought an American natural icon to California, Alabama and Oregon, including a sold-out audience for Maestro Hanson’s Sunriver Music Festival.

We’re now in the planning stages to present a triple series of this concert piece in 2017 with an orchestra in Germany!

Following both premieres under the direction of Maestro Christopher Wilkins, The Eternal Struggle helped many orchestras across the country usher in the 150th anniversaries (from 2011 to 2015) of the Civil War and Lincoln’s presidency. This poignant account of American history was well-received by audiences in states like Nebraska, Colorado, California, Ohio, Montana, Indiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and many more. Guest narrators have ranged from national celebrities like Tom Brokaw and Maya Angelou to senators, generals, university presidents and community leaders.

The concert piece continues to be programmed, most recently for a triple series with The Phoenix Symphony titled “Tribute to the Brave” in October 2015 that also featured our newest commemorative World War I and World War II multimedia pieces.