At the back of Agnes Scott’s campus, on top of a hill overlooking the track, stands the Bradley Observatory. I’m here at 7:45 p.m. on a Friday night to see the first William A. Calder Equinox Concert of the school year. As the name suggests, these concerts take place on the fall and spring equinoxes. They consist of about an hour of music from a visiting musician, followed by about an hour long planetarium show. The shows commemorate the legacy of former Agnes Scott College professor William A Calder, who taught at Agnes between 1947 and 1971. Although Dr. Calder was a professor of physics and astronomy, he was also well known for his love of music and skill on the violin, as well as for his passion for community engagement in astronomy and music. This concert series, which is free to the public and accessible to people with any level of knowledge of astronomy and music, does a wonderful job of celebrating Dr. Calder’s legacy.
This particular concert of September 22, the fall equinox, featured Christopher Hutton on the cello. Dr. Hutton hails from Wellington, New Zealand, although he has spent many years studying and performing in the United States and considers it his adopted home country. He performed for us a “Suite Sampler” from Johann Sebastian Bach’s (1685-1750) six Cello Suites, and Suite for Cello No. 1 Op. 72 by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976). In the program notes, Dr. Hutton writes that he chose to perform a “Suite Sampler” arranged to include one movement from each of the six suites, as performing all of the suites would make a concert lasting more than two hours.
The entirety of the concert took place in the planetarium, and during the Bach piece the lights were dimmed and we were able to watch constellations on the ceiling. This combination made for a beautiful and calming atmosphere. If you wish to listen to all six suites, they can be found on Youtube (https://youtu.be/REu2BcnlD34). Britten’s work was composed for Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007) and inspired by Rostropovich’s own performance of Bach’s suites. Although this suite is very much its own piece, one may hear quotes and references to Bach’s suites. This suite can also be found on youtube (https://youtu.be/e6y2tLeU5zU). More information about Dr. Hutton’s “Reflecting Bach” concerts can be found here http://www.reflectingbach.com/.
Following Dr. Hutton’s performance there was a 15-minute intermission while Dr. De Pree, Charles A. Dana Professor of Astronomy, set up the planetarium. The show started with a discussion of the solar eclipse, including some stunning photos of the corona of the sun. We then traveled around the night sky, following constellations and particularly bright stars. Dr. De Pree was able to change the concentration of light as well so we could clearly see the difference between the sky above us with light pollution, and how the sky would look without that pollution.
A full calendar of events scheduled at the Bradley Observatory can be found at https://agnesscott.edu/bradleyobservatory/open-house-series.html. In addition to the fall and spring equinox concerts, there are a number of lectures, including some by alumna of Agnes Scott.