Symphony No. 1 - "The Thunderbird"

“Symphony No. 1 – The Thunderbird” by Noah Ahanu Blair is the final work and culmination of sketches he wrote in a 3-year period between 2023 and 2026; the symphony itself was written between the Spring of 2025 and 2026. The material in this work is directly inspired by the music and stories of the Indigenous peoples of North America, using the image of The Thunderbird from Native American mythology as the scaffolding through which ideas about indigenous freedom, genocide, and self-determination in recent American history are explored sonically. The work also features material from Thommas Commuck, the first published Indigenous composer and ancestor of Blair; both composers belong to the Brothertown tribe of the northern United States. This common link and ancestry played a vital role in the musical development and narrative of Blair’s first Symphony.