concerto for classical guitar and strings, nylon string guitar, contemporary classical

“Hózhǫ́ Naashá” was commissioned by Jim Kollias. Jim is the chair of the Visual & Performing Arts Department, and the Director of Instrumental Music at Beckman High School in Irvine, CA. He commissioned the piece for his high school string orchestra in 2024.
I have found American indigenous culture’s relationship with the environment to be admired. Obviously not every culture in the Americas was protective of the Earth, but many were. One American indigenous people caring of and for the environment is the Navajo. 
The Navajo Diné language played a crucial role in World War II as code talkers, using their language to transmit messages that were never deciphered by the enemy. The Diné language’s complexity and the unique code created by the code talkers allowed for the transmission of vital information with high security and accuracy.
The complexity of Diné allows for numerous translations of the basic idea of Hózhǫ́ Naashá. Nevertheless, Hózhǫ́ Naashá is a core philosophical concept in the Navajo (Diné) culture that translates to "walking in beauty". It is a way of life centered on the idea of striving for and maintaining balance, harmony, order, and peace in all aspects of existence. 
More than a simple phrase, Hózhǫ́ Naashá is a guiding principle that encompasses:
•	Harmony with Nature: It means living in balance and the "right relationship" with the natural world and the universe.
•	Holistic Well-being: The concept relates to developing spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical strength.
•	Mindful Existence: It is about being intentional in moving through the world and aware of the beauty around you.
•	Restoration: When imbalances or challenges (what the Navajo call Hócho, or "disorder") arise, the focus is not on changing the situation but on restoring one's own attitude and inner harmony to fit the situation. This is often expressed in the phrase "Hózhǫ́ Nahasdlii," which means "All is beautiful again" or "it has become beauty again".
•	A Continuous Path: It is an ongoing journey or a "beauty way path" that guides an individual to live a blessed and ordered life. 
In essence, Hózhǫ́ Naashá is a profound worldview that encourages a positive and beautiful existence by consciously creating and maintaining harmony within oneself and with everything around us.

Hózhó Naasha (Walking in Beauty) Concerto for Guitar and Strings

Hózhó Naasha-mvt. 1-There is beauty before me

Hózhó Naasha-mvt. 3-There is beauty above me

Hózhó Naasha-mvt. 4-There is beauty below me

Hózhó Naasha-mvt. 2-There is beauty behind me

Ken Walicki is an American composer who is widely recognized and acknowledged for his dramatic, and engaging music, which reflects the times in which we live. Because of his unusual and interesting background, his sound world has evolved into a unique combination of Art, Pop, Jazz, and World music. Walicki‘s influences include Gyorgy Ligeti, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Public Enemy, and much more. He was one of the first composers to use turntables in his music and the first composer to have turntables and a D.J. as regular members in a standing ensemble. His music has been performed throughout the world by, among others, the Kronos Quartet, ETHEL, the New Century Saxophone Quartet, the Soldier String Quartet, the Divan Consort, and members of the New York Philharmonic, The Los Angeles Symphony, The Los Angeles Chamber Symphony, The Detroit Symphony, The Pacific Symphony, the Istanbul Borusan Orchestra, and the SWR Kaiserslautern Orchestra. He is the composer-in-residence for the new music ensemble The Divan Consort. Walicki has received grants and commissions from a variety of organizations and performing ensembles including the American Composers Forum, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Jerome Foundation, the Kronos Quartet, the Mary Flagler Cary Trust, and Meet the Composer.
Growing up playing guitar in local Detroit garage bands, Walicki decided, at early age, he wanted to dedicate his life to music. His education included a two-year period in Germany as a Fulbright scholar where he studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Helmut Lachenmann, and Rolf Hempel. He was also an active participant in master classes with Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, and William Schumann. After returning from Germany, he studied with Jere Hutcheson at Michigan State University where he received his Ph.D. Walicki enjoys traveling and finds it to be a fantastic source of inspiration. After
spending a large amount of time in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, he has found these cultures to be particularly close to his heart. Together these experiences have made him a composer of diverse, accessible, physically, and spiritually moving, yet intellectually rigorous music. In addition to his music being presented in traditional concert music venues such as Lincoln Center in New York and the Liszt Academy in Budapest, his music has also been performed in new music clubs such as CBGB’s, the Knitting Factory, and countless cafes and storefronts throughout the world. Without compromising his values, he has made a point of writing music that relates to people and their situations. Walicki has collaborated with a variety of artists in the classical, pop, theater, film, and dance worlds, including Lydia Lunch, Dora Ohrenstein, the Doug Elkins Dance Company, Emmy winning producer/director Mark Obenhaus, American Opera Projects, Bermuda Triangle, Bang on a Can All-Stars, the Kronos Quartet, Divan Consort, and Ensemble Green. He was the founder and composer of the Ken Valitsky Ensemble, which included Regina Carter and Thomas Chapin as members. Previously, besides being on the faculty at New York University, Walicki has taught composition in Istanbul, Turkey at the Center for Advanced Music Techniques(MIAM), a department of Istanbul Technical University. Currently, he lives in Southern California with his son, and the family dogs. His music is available on Knitting Factory Works, C.R.I., CRS Artists, Channel Records, Albany Records and Ravello Records.