PRAYING MANTIS Premiered

February 7, 2009 marked the premier of Praying Mantis, an original composition for orchestra by Felgenhour that pays tribute to the successful 1988 U.S. naval operation in the Persian Gulf. The piece was performed by the Lorain County Community College Civic Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Robert Beckstrom at the Stocker Center for Performing Arts. Praying Mantis portrays intense elements of maritime war, book-ended by intense percussive explosions with the climax symbolizing the ultimate victory of this historic engagement.