WATCH
The [Wreck]oning
Performed by bassist Samuel Zagnit
Series presented by: Bass Players for Black Composers
DRY
Director/Cinematographer: Claire Dejarnett
Original Song and Sound Design: Mason Bynes
Pleiades
an audio-visual "entrance" piece
Seeking Persephone (2019) with poetry and voice over by Kathryn I.W. Sparks
Following Orpheus (2019) with poetry and voice over by Kathryn I. W. Sparks
Somebody Else (opb: The 1975) - Green Tones/ arranged by Mason Bynes
Incipient Sonority
poetry by Kathryn I. W. Sparks
Performed by: UpriSING Women's Chamber Choir
The House
poetry by Gertrude Stein
performed by Nick Alessi, tenor and Yukiko Nishimura, piano
Prayer to Persephone
poetry by Edna St. Vincent, accompanied by the Seiklos Epitaph
Performed by: Hilary Grace Taylor, soprano | Kathleen Crabtree, viola | Jing Xu, piano
LISTEN
ZEUS
This piece is written for chamber ensemble- consisting of three electric guitars, electric bass and drum set. Zeus was the king of the Greek gods who lived on Mount Olympus. He is the father of Persephone and lover of Demeter. This piece serves to express Zeus's superiority and electric strength as the olympian god of the sky and thunder.
Performed by:
Mills Chaiken, electric guitar
Roger Hunt, electric guitar
Ethan Ditthardt, electric guitar
Tyler Kysar, electric bass
Alex Souris, drumset
LOOKOUTS
Film directed by Claire Dejarnett. A man and woman seek refuge from the struggles of life in an abandoned watch tower.
PERSEPHONE
Persephone, goddess of spring, is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest goddess Demeter. She was described by Homer as “the formidable venerable majestic princess of the underworld who carries into effect the curses of men upon the souls of the dead.” While in a garden, Persephone was stolen by Hades and taken to the underworld, where she became queen. The myth of her abduction is personified through vegetation. The growth of a new flower in spring and its death and retraction back into the earth during fall and winter serves as a symbol. This piece expresses both the beauty and harshness of Persephone’s life.
Performed by cellist, Kourtney Newton