The world of music has treated New Orleans native Terence Blanchard well: An eight-time Grammy award winner, a twice Oscar-nominated film composer and a world-renowned jazz trumpeter. He’s done it all.
But when Hurricane Katrina devastated his hometown and displaced thousands — including his own family — he and his band took those experiences and emotions and put it into what would become an album to remember: “A Tale of God’s Will (Requiem for Katrina).”
Now, almost two decades later, Blanchard will be returning with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra to perform the award-winning album once again in a concert commemorating the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Jan. 18 at the Orpheum Theater.

“There are times I play and I get emotional because I think about the loss of life, people who were hurt … people who’ve never been able to recover,” Blanchard said. “I think it’s important for us to experience these moments where we don’t forget, where we constantly remember what happened, so we could move forward with faith that we’ll do better as a society.”
When Blanchard first composed the full album — originally taken from a theme he composed for an HBO documentary about the hurricane — he let his fellow bandmates write some of the pieces for the project.
“The title of the album came about just because we were jamming on one of the pieces,” he said. “Somebody said, ‘This is a tale of God’s will,’ and then that all came together.”
Blanchard originally played the piece with the LPO soon after the album was released, and soon after Katrina. And back then, he remembered everyone asking the same questions backstage.
“‘How’s your family? How’s your house? Are you going back?’ Those were the main questions we kept asking each other,” he said. “Everybody wanted to go back home, which really speaks to the power of that city. New Orleans has a very powerful draw to it.”
After that, Blanchard recalled getting many messages and hearing a number of stories throughout the years from those expressing how much “A Tale of God’s Will” meant to them.

Photo credit : Cedric Angeles
One story involved a man who told Blanchard that he had lost a friend from the effects of the hurricane, and not with the hurricane itself. The man couldn’t grieve his friend at the time, but listening to the album in his car allowed him to release all of his emotions.
“The water didn’t discriminate,” Blanchard said. “It didn’t care about your race, your sexual orientation, your status in life, or any of that stuff.”
That’s why with the recognition of Hurricane Katrina’s anniversary, Blanchard said he hopes that — or rather that he knows — those coming to the concert are proud to be New Orleanians.
“[I know] they’re proud of their resilience and going through this situation and coming out on the other side stronger as the community,” he said. “All those things play a huge role in what happens when we play this music.”
And while Blanchard has had a successful music career not just around the country, but also the world, coming home and playing in New Orleans will always be extra special for him.
Not only did the musicians in the city — in the streets, clubs and at parties — inspire him as a musician, but it’s that New Orleans is a “city of moments,” as a friend once told him, and one that continues to be strong.
“I get upset at the notion of somebody saying it shouldn’t exist or shouldn’t be rebuilt,” he said. “You can have any type of amazing moment in the city … And I’m very proud of my hometown, I’m very proud to be from there.”
For tickets visit Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
