Centenary music professor releases new NASA-inspired work
SHREVEPORT, LA — Dr. James Eakin, associate professor of music composition and theory at Centenary’s Hurley School of Music, has composed a new piece inspired by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which launched on December 25, 2021. Eakin composed both the music and the lyrics for the piece, “Calling from Afar,” which has been recorded by the Tallgrass Chamber Choir based in Kansas. The recording and the sheet music for the piece, published by Walton Music, will both be released on October 10.
A self-described “space geek,” Eakin recalls his excitement at the launch of both the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990 and the James Webb Space Telescope in 2021. His lifelong interest in space proved to be a great source of creative inspiration for his first composition in twenty years that was not commissioned work.
“On Christmas Eve of 2021, the day before the JWST launch, I was lying in bed when suddenly music and lyrics filled my head about the amazing discoveries in store for the JWST and humanity,” said Eakin. “I didn’t sleep a wink that night. Because I was working on other projects, I had to wait a couple of months before I put the music in my mind down on staff paper. Once I began, it was a quick process; it was practically finished before I put the first note on the page.”
With lyrics evoking the wonder and vastness of space, “Calling from Afar” is dedicated to the men and women of the JWST team as well as to Lee Gammill, Eakin’s late father-in-law. Gammill was a physicist who shared Eakin’s excitement about the imminent launch of the new telescope, but he passed away before he could hear the completed piece inspired by the milestone event.
“Calling from Afar” was recorded during the summer of 2023 by Dr. Jacob Narverud and the Tallgrass Chamber Choir, a professional choir based in Kansas but composed of singers from across the country who come together for recording sessions. The Tallgrass recording, made during a private session, will be released on streaming platforms on October 10. Eakin has also created a music video featuring the recording, available on YouTube, that incorporates footage from NASA and the JWST.
Eakin, a 2022 winner of the American Prize in Composition for his #twitterlieder: 15 tweets in 3 acts, is currently composing the score for a short film written and directed by Disney director Steve Anderson, known for “Monsters at Work” and “Meet the Robinsons,” among other projects. He is also composing a new set of art songs incorporating Cajun French poetry that will be premiered at the 2024 National Convention of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).
Eakin earned a bachelor of arts in music from Centenary in 2000, a master of arts in music from SMU, and a doctorate of musical arts in composition from the Conservatory of Music, University of Missouri-Kansas City. He returned to Centenary in 2017 to teach music composition and theory at the Hurley School of Music, training and mentoring students while maintaining a busy professional composing career.
Learn more about Eakin in this article from Centenary Magazine or at his website, jameseakin.com.