The audience gives the Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra a standing ovation following the performance of Rain, River, Sea.

In his program notes, Long pointed to Susquehanna as the inspiration for Rain, River, Sea. "The campus of Susquehanna University appears to be a place of peace and repose, with its stately buildings sitting quietly under the trees. But beneath the surface it is a place of countless thrilling journeys. It is fitting for a college to be named after a river. Just as waters fall across a vast landscape, flow together for a time in a river, and then reach the infinite possibilities of the sea, so does college provide a time and place for each student's passage."

Going into the concert, Long said he hoped the event would feel like a "cross between a family reunion, a church service and a sporting event." His hope stemmed from the realization that music can bring about a range of emotional and spiritual experiences. "Music is the most abstract art form - it's really just the air shaking, and there is no 'right' way to hear a piece. The members of an audience sit together, sharing the experience, and yet each person may interpret and feel the music in an individual way," he says.

"We're all wanting to capture the moment," Long says. "Life is fleeting. Moments are flying by all the time, and we're always looking for ways to make a moment matter - to make it memorable and special. Live music at its best can do this better than just about anything."

Rain, River, Sea unfolded toward such a moment. From the primordial dawn of Rain through the sun-scorched journey of River and the twilight reflection of Sea, the audience was transported through colorful orchestration to a dramatic conclusion, set to John Masefield's poem I Must Go Down to the Sea Again.

Patrick Long, associate professor of music, is acknowledged following the world premiere of his composition Rain, River, Sea.

Wiley led the orchestra and chorus through the three difficult movements with grace and skill, giving the audience an awe-inspiring audio and visual presentation. Like a Bernstein or an Ozawa, she moved her arms dramatically through a series of orchestral directions. She brought the piece home with a triumphant finish, arms flying in the air like those of a runner bursting across a finish line.

Emotions ran high as Wiley enthusiastically coaxed Long to the stage for a bow. The standing ovation continued as Maestro Stretansky returned to the stage for the finale, Gustav Holst's O God Beyond All Praising, arranged by Wayne Dietterick '74, coordinator of marketing and communications at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.