Duration: 3'
Commissioned by the American Hellenic Education Progressive Association (AHEPA) Centennial Foundation, Inc.
TRIBUTE received its premiere performances by the Georgia State University School of Music Symphonic Winds on May 31, 1996 in the Rialto Center for Arts and on June 1, 1996 in Centennial Olympic Park at the unveiling of a statue, TRIBUTE, donated on behalf of all Greek Americans and Canadians by the Order of AHEPA upon the occasion of the Centennial Olympic Games in the city of Atlanta, Georgia.
The statue, TRIBUTE, features three runners representing three important cities and eras in Olympic history: the creation of the Games in 776 B.C. in Olympia, Greece; the 1896 rebirth of the modern Games in Athens; and the 1996 Centennial Games held in Atlanta. The runners are musically represented in this brief composition by an intentionally romanticized theme (Athens -1896), abstracted Greek folk dance music (Olympia - 776 B.C.) and subtle 20th Century harmonic underpinnings (Atlanta – 1996). The TRIBUTE statue is the only piece of art remaining in Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta from the 1996 Atlanta Games.