yakona: A Tone Poem

Journey into Yakona’s remnant fog-belt Sitka spruce forest through this commissioned orchestral piece composed by Dr. Sara Graef, conducted by Adam Flatt, and performed by the Newport Symphony Orchestra. Premiered in January 2023 at the Performing Arts Center in Newport, Oregon, this composition commemorates the spirit of Yakona, which is the ancestral home of the Yaqo’n people. It evokes a sense of wonder and a desire to preserve this special land that is home to black bear, cougar, Bald Eagle, bobcat, Roosevelt elk, and so many more.

Graef elaborates in the preface of the conductor’s score: In the tone poem Yakona, we hear the sounds of the wind in the trees, the Sitka spruce, the Douglas-firs, the hemlocks and the cedars. We hear the tide creeping and swirling in and out of the estuaries and marshes, the decimation of the trees from logging and the subsequent dwindling presence of the native fauna. We hear the erasure of the history and culture of the Yaqo’n people, both from devastating violence and disease, and from their forced assimilation and marginalization. In this piece we offer our commitment to holding this sacred place in our hearts and to give it a place in the hearts of others.

A special thank you to the photographers who generously donated the images that made this project possible - Bill Posner, Rena Olson, and Roger Thompson.