The piece will be performed on February 24 during a program titled "Rock Like Bach," featuring new music by classical composers but inspired by rock music. The concert will be open to the public as part of the MSO's 2005-06 season.

Thomas's recent works include Gathering Paradise, a setting of Emily Dickinson poems that was premiered by the New York Philharmonic in September 2004, as well as new pieces commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

"The Memphis Symphony is excited by the prospect of presenting a new work by a composer as talented as Augusta Read Thomas," said Ryan Fleur, executive director of the MSO. "We are honored that the Music Library Association chose our city and our orchestra for this event. It is a tribute to the high quality of our musicians."

Thomas's works are untraditional in their tonality, but bold and energetic—one critic wrote that her music is "abrasive but somehow accessible."