An eclectic mix of artists and musicians have collaborated to produce a cultural commemoration of music and a message of hope for Alaskans during the Juneau Student Symphony's winter concert series this weekend.

The Student Symphony, accompanied by the Alaska Youth Choir, will perform the world premier of "Alaska Sinfonietta," a symphonic ensemble composed by German-born composer Thomas Reiner, of Australia, with lyrics by local poets Nora Marks Dauenhauer and Richard Dauenhauer. It will be performed at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and again at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

"The idea for the commission was to create a musical work that incorporates local Alaskan history, poetry and oral tradition," Reiner said of the collaboration.

Commissioned by the Student Symphony in 2008, the sinfonietta consists of three movements - Innocence, Lament and Hope. The Alaska Youth Choir will join in on third movement, singing lines from poems written by Nora Marks and Richard Dauenhauer.

"I am very grateful for Nora's and Richard's beautiful poetry," Reiner said. "Their words helped to convey the feeling of hope and a sense of here-and-now. The presence of the poetry strengthens the music's link to the culture and geography of Southeast Alaska."

According to conductor Rick Trostel, the sinfonietta was inspired by a Tlingit mourning song, "Ch'a aadei yei unateegaa," known to many under the misnomer "Tlingit National Anthem." This song, composed by Aanti Yéili - whose English name was Joe Wright - isn't actually an anthem, Richard Dauenhauer said.

"This is cry song, a lamentation," Nora Marks Dauenhauer said. "People can sing it with the proper respect, but it's a lamentation, not an entertainment song."

Despite it's somber tone, to Trostel the lamentation portrays a message of hope for future generations.

"One of the parts of Aanti Yéili's song says that there's solace in the mountains, there's solace in the glacier and there's solace in the descendants, who are carrying on the traditions," Trostel said. "(Our reaction to Aanti Yeili's song) is one of hope that the traditions will be carried on and that people will come to an understanding that's meaningful, peaceful and reasonable for all of us."

After studying more about Tlingit traditions, Trostel said he understands the respect such a song deserves. He said one strong tradition is to write a song in response to a song.

"In a way, we're honoring that Tlingit tradition by writing this symphonic response to this Tlingit song, to Aanti Yeili's song," he said.

According to the Dauenhauers, Aanti Yéili's song belongs to the Lukaax.ádi (Sockeye Salmon) people whose homeland is Haines. Aanti Yeili composed it when he returned to his village and discovered that most of his relatives had died off.

"The words to the first verse express his love for his homeland," Richard Dauenhauer said, "and the second verse expresses his love for his father's sisters."

These two Tlingit values - love for descendants and love for the land - are why Trostel chose the Dauenhauers' poems.

"(Aanti Yéili's song) is a song through which we remember our departed, not only including our ancestors, but our land, our clan houses and our relatives of the opposite moiety," Nora Marks Dauenhauer said.

Richard Dauenhauer agreed.

"Nora's poem and my poem both deal with the land and with people," he said, "and that will be the thematic unity in the musical piece and how it relates to why he commissioned it."

Interestingly enough, the symphony raised all of the money for the commission by selling about 200 donation shares of the score, and those who bought 10 shares will receive an entire part, such as a flute or violin part. In all, nearly 100 people donated to make the commission.

"It's quite expensive to have somebody compose 15 minutes of music," Trostel said. "They were donations like you would donate to a library. ... Every person who bought a share is going to be getting a portion of the score - exactly ½00th of the score."

In addition to this multicultural premier, the evening will feature a performance by the Lda Kut Naax Sati' Yatx'i (All Nation's Children) Dancers, a group of children from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, as well as a rendition of Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 1," featuring Juneau-Douglas High School junior Maggie Ross on the piano.

"Maggie's playing is a thing of marvelous beauty," Trostel said. "Beethoven surely would have been pleased to hear her play these riffs that he invented and premiered over two centuries ago."

According to Trostel, Ross won the honor of playing with the Juneau Student Symphony at last spring's Juneau Symphony Youth Concerto Competition. He is enthusiastic for the concert series and encourages all to come out and see the fusion of culture, history, music and people.

"I am so honored to be part of this collaboration," he said. "I hope it advances peaceful and prosperous relationships between cultures and between arts groups. I hope the audience finds as much inspiration in our performance as we have found in the creation of this concert."

• Contact Neighbors editor Kim Andree at 523-2272 or kimberly.andree@juneauempire.com.