Iris was commissioned by the New World Symphony and Miami City Ballet for their "Choreographic Concerto," which brought five pairs of composers and choreographers together to create a larger ballet.
The piece, a short work of lyricism and propulsion, is entitled 'Iris' because it is about hope and wisdom, which the Iris flower symbolizes. The iris is also the part of the eye that lets light in.
With gratitude to New World Symphony, Miami City Ballet, and choreographer Claudia Schreier for this collaboration.
Miami Clasica
"[The choreographic concerto] began with 'Iris' by Sarah Kirkland Snider, a work of expansive lyricism and luminous orchestral weave."
South Florida Classical Review
"Iris” by composer Sarah Kirkland Snider opened the evening. The warmth and beauty of Snider’s sumptuous textures were matched by choreographer Claudia Schreier’s movements."
Miami Herald
“I was so enamored with what she produced. It’s a beautiful, rapturous, lush piece of music,” [choreographer] Schreier says…"the harp is a steady rhythmic undercurrent—persisting beneath the shifting music around it. At times, she notes, the piece opens into moments of celebration, which she interprets as expressions of the human spirit’s resilience…”It starts from a small idea, and that little fragment is repeated and grows into this huge body of sound throughout the piece,” says [concertmaster] Hannah Corbett. “Texturally, it’s pretty complicated, but it’s truly a stunning piece.”
The Classical Review
"[Choreographer Claudia Schreier] describes the score as “gorgeous, lush, and rhapsodic,” adding that Snider “clearly understands dance and the speed of movement.” Composer Snider says she chose the title Iris as “a flower symbol—letting in the light.” She hopes her music will “create a narrative about hope and wisdom, empathy and compassion.”"
