Program Notes

Shadow bands are thin, wavering lines of alternating light and dark streaks which appear on pale surfaces—the ground, walls, and even our own skin—in the moments before and after the totality of a solar eclipse. This ephemeral phenomenon is eerie yet mesmerizing, an atmospheric dance lasting only seconds. I’ve had the rare fortune of witnessing shadow bands twice in my life: during the total solar eclipses of August 2017 and April 2024. For an event so uncommon, it is remarkable to have encountered it twice in a (relatively) short span of time.

Witnessing two total eclipses in a relatively short time got me thinking about the times we live in. In today’s political and cultural climate, moments that would have once felt extraordinary or unprecedented seem to be occurring more and more often, with unsettling frequency. News stories that would have dominated headlines for months a generation ago now vanish into the noise of weekly breaking news cycles—followed up by the next once-in-a-lifetime story. Somehow, this routine has made the unprecedented seem oddly familiar.