Resonance Commissions | Ringdown (Extended Editions)

Commission story

The concert title, CHOIR GRRRL, came as a direct inspiration from the riot grrrl movement—an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s in the Pacific Northwest. The music focused on topics ranging from domestic and sexual abuse, eating disorders, anarchism, racism, patriarchy, classism, sexuality, and female empowerment, and fostered a distinct subculture involving a DIY ethic, “zines,” visual art, political action, and activism—including grassroots organization and local meetings. The riot grrrl movement allowed women their own space to create music and make political statements about the issues they were facing in the punk rock community and in society.

However, riot grrrl movements failed to become truly intersectional spaces, often overlooking or excluding women of color and transwomen, and media outlets focused heavily on the movement's aesthetics rather than its political message, which diluted its impact overall. Despite this, the discussions surrounding the riot grrrl movement brought much-needed attention to ongoing conversations surrounding the distinct ways different groups of women experience oppression as it relates to their sexuality, race, economic status, and gender identity.

Our program, Choir GRRRL, sought to celebrate women across a wide array of identities and experiences, and give voice to the stories they want to tell. We were proud to both pay homage to this unique tradition in the PNW music scene, as well as be part of its evolution to be a more inclusive space for artists of all backgrounds.

For this program, we were honored to commission newly-expanded versions of three original works by the artists of Ringdown: Caroline Shaw and Danni Lee Parpan.

About Titles TBD

Resonance Ensemble is no stranger to Pulitzer-Prize winning artist Caroline Shaw, but the program marked our first collaboration with her new “cinematic electro-pop duo,” founded with multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Danni Lee Parpan: Ringdown. Together as Ringdown, they forge a new realm that unlocks ways to write, sing, and perform that they can only access with each other, encouraging each to loosen their grip on the music they have created before and fully revel in the intricate pop music they have both always loved. Despite their recent appearance on the scene, they have already performed across the U.S. and abroad at Big Ears, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Public Records, SXSW, Thuringia Bach Festival, and more.

As part of the program, Ringdown specially-arranged several of their songs to include treble voice choir—expanding their already lush harmonic language into the voices of twelve additional singers. The three new arrangements included: Reckoning (their debut track), My Turn, and The Mess. In addition to the live concert, they duo also appeared alongside Resonance on All Classical to preview some of these exciting new arrangements!

program note by Resonance Ensemble

Return to Commissions Gallery

Only in Falling | Poet-in-Residence | The Talk | LISTEN | Safe Harbor
We Hold Your Names Sacred | After Time Has Gnawed | Normal Never Was
Abya Yala | An African American Requiem
We Are Murmurs | Seek What You Want to Find | RE-FLEC | Shout Out
From the Book of Sankofa | Seven Prayers | Ringdown | It’s So Quiet
On This Land