Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Travel the world without leaving Reno as we celebrate the fascinating world of planes, trains, automobiles (and boats!) through music — some you’ll be familiar with, while discovering others!

• Through Countless Halls of Air, written by W. Francis McBeth. The title comes from an 1941 sonnet written by war poet John Gillespie Magee, Jr., inspired by his experiences as a fighter pilot in WWII.
• Ghost Train, written by native Nevada composer Eric Whitacre, who shares: “The legend of the Ghost Train, a supernatural machine that roars out of the night through forgotten towns and empty canyons, is deeply rooted in American folklore, and it was this spirit I worked to capture.”
• Overture in Five Flat, written by one of our favorite composers Julie Giroux. Like a race car, hot-rod or super bike, this composition was built to run, not idle!
• The Great Steamboat Race, written by Robert W. Smith, musically recounts a famous race between two paddle boats, the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez, on the Mississippi River during the summer of 1870.

Local jazz tenor saxophonist Jim Garaventa will be featured on At the Station, the second movement of Ghost Train. Steven Meyer, of the Nevada Gay Men’s Chorus, will be the announcer for the show.

General admission is $10 and $5 for seniors (65 and older). Children and students (K-12, college with school ID card) are free. Free parking is available in the Brian J. Whalen parking structure north of the Church Fine Arts building.