Shooting Stars

Shooting Stars is an aural representation of the Perseids meteor shower. The annual Perseids occur every mid-July and the peak of the meteor shower is mid-August. The Perseids meteors are associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, first discovered in 1862. The meteors are named as such because the radiant (the point in the sky where they appear) lies in the constellation Perseus. The Perseids are one of the brightest known meteor showers, bright enough to be seen even with the moonlight and at its peak about 40–50 meteors can appear every hour.

Performers are equipped with flashlights to give the audience their own meteor shower and features an aleatoric (chance music) section. During this section performers are given guidelines of what to perform but they can perform it however and whenever they choose.

Shooting Stars was premiered on May 24th, 2022 by Ashley Paradis and the Pittsfield High School Concert Band in the Pittsfield High Auditorium in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.