Ethan Wickman traveled to Europe in July with his father, Lance, who is a history buff and Vietnam War veteran. Father and son spent three days in Normandy, France, the site of the D-Day invasion during World War II.

Wickman visited American and German military cemeteries in Normandy. He witnessed graves of soldiers as young as 16.

"Thinking about the contrast of those two places was incredibly moving," Wickman, 36, said.

The experience inspired Wickman to compose the classical piece "Les Jeunes and les Immortels," which in French means "The Young and the Immortal."

"The title, it is in reference to all those lives," said Wickman, a UW-Eau Claire music professor. "It is a kind of rumination of these feelings."

Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra will perform the world premiere of "Les Jeunes and les Immortels" on Saturday.

"One of the missions of the orchestra is to make use of the creativity of the local community," conductor Ivar Lunde Jr. said.

The concert, titled "Mozart and a Bit of Jazz," also will feature the world premiere of the Fourth Movement of Symphony No. 8 by Jerry Edinger. Edinger, who lives in Kennan in north central Wisconsin, has no formal music training. He relies on music software to create compositions.

UW-Eau Claire alumni Keith Thompson and Dan Julson will be the trumpet soloists in Concertino for Two Trumpets, Rhythm Section and Strings by Peter Lawrence. Thompson and Julson both live in the Twin Cities and commute to Eau Claire for orchestra rehearsals.

UW-Stout architecture professor Mitchell Spencer will display photographs before the concert and during intermission.

"Les Jeunes et les Immortels" has cinematic and lyrical qualities, Lunde said. Although the 13-minute piece was inspired by graveyards, the composition isn't morbid, Wickman said.

"It is somber, but there is a bit of underlying celebration," he said.

Espe can be reached at 833-9206, 800-236-7077 or troy.espe@ecpc.com.