Classical Music Committee
presents
Beyond Earth:
A Celestial Odyssey
Beyond Earth: A Celestial Odyssey is an orchestral suite for large orchestra by Henry Dehlinger, commissioned by Maestro Piotr Gajewski for Capital Classical Concerts paired with immersive cinematic scientific visualizations by the National Air and Space Administration. The speakers will cover their work with NASA and how music enhances scientific storytelling.
Friday, May 1, 2026
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
$40 Non-Members - $30 ACW Members
Maestro Piotr Gajewski
Composer Henry Dehlinger
The speakers will share their unique collaboration with NASA. They will also offer a glimpse into the creative process in composing music for videos made by NASA producers – taking the audience on an enchanting voyage through the cosmos, delving into the power of art to communicate scientific ideas, and inspiring wonder and curiosity about the mysteries of the universe.
Dubbed by The Washington Post as “immensely talented and insightful conductor, whose standards, taste, and sensitivity are impeccable, Capital Classic Concerts Artistic Director Piotr Gajewski was also the founder and, for 40 years, the Music Director and Conductor of the National Philharmonic at Strathmore Music Center. In addition to his tenure with NatPhil, Gajewski has served as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Silesian Philharmonic in his native Poland, and as Guest Conductor with the Philharmonics of Buffalo (USA), Royal Liverpool (UK), and Warsaw National (Poland), among others. Maestro Gajewski’s many honors include Poland’s Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit, bestowed on him by the former president of Poland, and a prize at New York’s Leopold Stokowski Conducting Competition. Winner of the Leonard Bernstein Conducting Fellowship at Tanglewood (Massachusetts), Gajewski studied with, among others, Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, and Andre Previn.
Hailed by Gramophone as “a master of myriad styles,” composer Henry Dehlinger’s work has also been celebrated by The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Agence France-Presse, Journal of Singing, and more. “Dehlinger’s music does wonders,” says The Washington Post, which praises his lush, orchestral soundscapes as “an unexpected emotional punch.” His vocal works, Gramophone adds, “are diverse in atmosphere and harmonic language, as befits the narratives, and the writing is rich, often rapturous.” His large-scale projects frequently unite music with science and visual media. Created in partnership with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Cosmic Cycles: A Space Symphony has been performed for audiences around the world, pairing live orchestra with imagery drawn from space exploration (enjoy the entire work performed by the North Sydney Symphony Orchestra by clicking here).
6:30 p.m. - Beer/Wine Open Bar
7:00 p.m. - Program
7:45 p.m. - Reception with Maestro Gajewski and Mr. Dehlinger
The Distinguished Speakers in Classical Music Series is a project of the Classical Music Committee of The Arts Club of Washington.
This project is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
