Britt orchestra and Klamath Tribes combine for Crater Lake concert

CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK, Ore. -- The power of sound on display at Crater Lake National Park on Friday. The Britt orchestra and Klamath Tribes coming together to perform a piece designed to honor the history of the people from the area. It is the first of a series of performances that the two groups produced together in the last two years.

"The reason we did it is we thought that this music and playing it in this way and creating new music specifically for this experience brings people together in a way that no other art form really can," Britt orchestra music director Teddy Abrams said.

The performance honored the Klamath Tribes with an opening song and presentation by the chairman of the tribes.

The main focal point for this performance really was Crater Lake, a sacred spot for the Klamath Tribes they had inhabited for thousands of years.

"I could almost imagine the echoes of the voices of our ancestors that shouted prayers from these areas for thousands of thousands of years prior to this time," Klamath Tribes chairman Don Gentry said.

Abrams said the part of the Klamath Tribes in the concert is influential.

"That strength and unity and the way it's presented is really the inspiration behind the entire work," Abrams said. "The whole work kind of wraps around and envelops that. For the first time, when their part came out during the orchestra it was stunning."

The composer of the music is Michael Gordon.

There are three performances of the music on Saturday near Rim Village at the park at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.