Shanti Simon and University of Oklahoma Wind Symphony - Ticheli: Angel of Light (2025) [Hi-Res]

Angel of Light is the fourth album of the OU Wind Symphony and features the music of Frank Ticheli. The opening track, Lux Perpetua, is a beautiful tribute to Laura Onwudinanti and Jack Stewart, two clarinet players in the Baylor University Wind Ensemble who tragically lost their lives in an automobile accident. Lux Perpetua meditates on the light that shines beyond life through the impact one had on others. Next is the 25th Anniversary Edition of Blue Shades, one of Frank Ticheli’s most electrifying and well-known works. Following Blue Shades is a much newer piece, Over the Moon. This piece features the light of the moon and as the listener slides down onto the surface of the moon, they see the light of the Earth and the boundless energy of the universe. Finally, we end with the title track, Angels in the Architecture. Like Blue Shades, Angels in the Architecture is one of those Ticheli pieces that has stood the test of time and continues to be performed often worldwide. The soprano sings, “I am an angel of light. I have soared from above. I am cloth’d with Mother’s love. I have come, I have come, to protect my chosen band. And lead them to the promised land.”