"for Madison Elliott, all little angels and their parents"

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After losing a child at birth in November 2018, 1st Lt. Elizabeth Elliott turned to music to grieve and begin the healing process. In January 2019, she contacted composer Brian Balmages to write a piece of music to help her family, and others, find strength. Lt. Elliott describes her experience with the work, "I know that this piece will help so many families now and into the future. "Love and Light" is for my daughter Madison, but it is also for all the babies in heaven that we lost... Nothing can take away the pain of losing a child, but... time reveals, there is Love and Light on the other side."

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Listeners can read the program notes in the score, but it is important to know that "Love and Light" seeks to answer three impossible questions:

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1. What does unconditional love sound like?

2. What does it sound like when that love is shattered?

3. What does it sound like when a child first sees the face of God?

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World premiere by the United States Army Band with Lt. Elliott conducting.