Cancelled: CircleSongs with Bobby McFerrin
PORTLAND, OR — Portland-based professional vocal group Resonance Ensemble announced today that CircleSongs with Bobby McFerrin has been canceled due to health issues. The concert was set to premiere on April 5, 2024 at The Patricia Reser Center for the Performing Arts with an additional performance at the Armory at Portland Center Stage on April 6, 2024.
“We are very sad to share this news, and our hearts go out to Bobby McFerrin.” Said Katherine FitzGibbon. “We know it wasn’t an easy decision for him to make, and we hope everyone will join us in sending him all our love.“
The Resonance team is working with both The Patricia Reser Center for the Performing Arts and The Armory - Portland Center Stage to explore other options for the April 2024 dates. Further updates from Resonance will be announced via social media and on the Resonance website.
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TICKET-HOLDERS AND SUBSCRIBERS: for additional information or to answer any questions, please contact Liz Bacon Brownson at liz@resonancechoral.org or call our box office at (503) 427-8701.
Resonance Ensemble awarded An Oregon Cultural Trust grant for championing new works.
Among the Oregon commissioned artists celebrated this season (from L to R) Poet A. Mimi Sei, composer Darrell Grant, Composer Judy A. Rose, and composer Renee Favand See
With over $4 million in requests, Resonance Ensemble is one of 86 successful applicants to be awarded a FY24 Cultural Development grant award.
The funding will support the production and presentation of concerts on the 15th anniversary season that celebrate collaborations with Oregon composers around equity and justice in Oregon.
“These awards will enrich the cultural life of every county in Oregon,” said Niki Price, chair of the Cultural Trust board. “Every year it is an honor to fulfill the vision of the Cultural Trust’s founders by ensuring our funding has broad geographic impact and benefits every part of the state.”
“We are proud to receive this award from the Oregon Cultural Trust. Resonance continues to commission and champion new works by composers and poets whose stories have been underrepresented on the concert stage,” says Liz Bacon, Resonance Director of Marketing and Operations and Board Member. “Support like this will certainly help us continue this work for the upcoming concerts on our season that highlight beloved Oregon composers.”
About Resonance Ensemble
Under the direction of Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon, Resonance Ensemble, a professional vocal ensemble based in Portland, Oregon, creates powerful programs promoting meaningful social change. Resonance’s award-winning programming takes a radically collaborative approach, developing concerts in conversation with community partners. Resonance commissions and champions new works by composers and poets whose stories have been underrepresented on the concert stage.
Resonance Ensemble works to amplify voices that have long been silenced, and they do so through moving, thematic concerts that highlight solo and choral voices, new music by composers and poets whose stories have been underrepresented on the concert stage, visual and other performing artists, and community partners.
About the Oregon Cultural Trust
Created in 2001 by the Oregon Legislature, the Oregon Cultural Trust was established as an ongoing funding engine for arts, heritage and humanities across the state. Funding comes through the Cultural Tax Credit, which empowers Oregonians to direct more of the taxes they pay to supporting cultural opportunities for all. Oregon is the only state in the country that gives its citizens this choice. Sixty percent of the money goes directly to cultural organizations and agencies in the form of grants. The remaining 40 percent helps grow a permanent fund for culture. It’s described by the Oregonian as “A way to make paying state taxes satisfying.” #thankstoOCF
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Resonance Ensemble releases Debut Album
Resonance Ensemble releases debut album, LISTEN,
at the opening concert of their 15th Anniversary Season
featuring live works and special guest artists
PORTLAND, OR — Following a successful pre-pandemic Kickstarter campaign, Portland-based professional vocal group Resonance Ensemble releases their debut full-length album, LISTEN. The album features bold commissions and landmark works by rising stars in the choral world and is set to be released at the opening concerts of Resonance’s 15th anniversary season. Performances take place at Lincoln Performance Hall at PSU on Saturday, October 14, 2023 with a repeat matinee performance on Sunday, October 15.
“We are excited to share this music that is important, and so personal, to all of us at Resonance,” says Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon. “We’ve chosen music that embodies Resonance’s mission of creating meaningful social change – and building community – through powerful new vocal music. We’re grateful to our supporters for helping us release this album so we can share this music worldwide.”
The title track, Melissa Dunphy’s LISTEN, was commissioned by Resonance Ensemble and has been performed by Resonance multiple times since its premiere in 2019. The two-movement a cappella work for treble singers sets the testimony of both Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Prof. Anita Hill.
Composer Melissa Dunphy and Resonance director Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon tearfully embrace following the premiere of LISTEN in 2019.
“When Katherine approached me with the idea to write this piece, I immediately jumped at the opportunity,” says composer Melissa Dunphy. “Resonance’s premiere of the piece in 2019 was one of the most emotional concerts I’ve ever attended.”
LISTEN also features the premiere recording of another Resonance Ensemble commission by Portland-based composer Renée Favand-See. Only in Falling is a five-movement a cappella meditation on loss and transformation. Favand-See responded to the loss of her infant son Owen with settings of Wendell Berry poetry that she describes as “steadfast companions” in her time of grief, “offering understanding and insight, gradually even light, to my slowly unfolding experience. The poems in this set of pieces are ones that speak to different aspects of my grief—an ever-changing landscape of feelings and thoughts.”
Favand-See reflects, “Writing Only in Falling for Owen is a healing act, an affirmation that he was born and his life holds meaning in this world. And now, through this recording, I am able to share his life and our deep love for him with a wider community, to reach others who walk a journey of loss.”
As a special bonus, the album also features two live recordings from the We Dissent performances in 2022: Witch Trial, by Portland-based composer Stacey Philipps, and When the Dust Settles, by composer Mari Esabel Valverde – both Resonance favorites.
Philipps notes, “Sitting in the audience last year, I was blown away by the live performance of Witch Trial; which was thrillingly anguished and spectacularly sung. I’m delighted that Resonance is including it on this album.”
The CD also includes the solo song Brother Man, written by Historic Alberta House artistic director Vin Shambry and premiered at a 2016 Resonance performance, as well as music by Jake Runestad, Steven Sametz, and Dominick DiOrio. The album celebrates works that inspired a turning point in Resonance Ensemble’s focus as an organization—promoting meaningful social change and building community through powerful artistic experiences.
The official album release is scheduled for October 14th, 2023, in conjunction with a weekend of live performances of works from the recording. Pre-orders are on sale today, with a discount of 10% until Monday, September 25th.
For tickets and information on how to purchase the album, visit www.resonancechoral.org.
Note to Journalists: Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon, composers Renée Favand-See and Stacey Philipps, and Artistic Advisor Shohei Kobayashi are available for print, online, and broadcast interviews. If you would like more information or would like to schedule an interview, please contact Liz Bacon Brownson at liz@resonancechoral.org or by calling (503) 427-8701.
EVENT SUMMARY
EVENT TITLE: Resonance Ensemble Presents: LISTEN
TIME & DATE: October 14th @ 7:30pm | October 15th @ 3:00pm
LOCATION: Lincoln Hall 75 | PSU - 1620 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97201
PRICING: Single tickets on sale to the general public September 20, 2023
($40 general/$30 seniors/$15 artists/students/veterans)
FOR FURTHER READING
About Resonance Ensemble | About Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon
Season 15 Events | Season 15 Featured Artists Page | Season 15 Venues
Our end-of-fiscal-year fundraising campaign begins!
Photos by R. Hadiashar
Today we begin bidding a fond farewell to our 2022/23 season as we look forward to what’s next. Resonance stays busy preparing for next year’s season extravaganza: REVOLUTION 15. A season that brings back the incredible artists who have been part of our growth over the last 15 years, and showcases our continuing commitment to new collaborations with world-class artists. When you donate to Resonance, you are keeping this commitment alive.
Farewell 14: Here's true testament to what this year offered. Check out today's Oregon ArtsWatch piece of Daryl Browne's review of our final concert of the season "Earth's Protection." A couple of our favorite quotes:
“Conductor FitzGibbon’s skill on the podium might just go unnoticed. She is contained, steady and never performs. She serves the music and musicians. But dang, she deserved a standing ovation all her own for her pacing in the Mass. She never allowed the energy to drop between movements, courageously propelling performers through the entire work.
Such a wonderful success, even with the rain, was this entire festival dedicated to our “love of our Planet and all of its People.”
Such purpose.
Photo by R. Hadiashar
Commissioning new works, hosting GRAMMY-award winning artists, and hiring talented singers isn’t cheap – and we can’t do it without your help.
This past year, we have spent more than $75,000 to hire artists, and we’re more than doubling that scope for next season! Help us welcome our exciting 15th anniversary season and donate to our Farewell 14, Hello 15 Campaign.
The campaign runs through June 30th with a goal of $5,000.
As a special thank you for your contribution, all donors will be entered into a drawing to win 15% off of a VIP-for-2 subscription to our 23/24 season!
You have the power to help us launch this exciting new season!
No gift is too small! Your gift of $15 (or $150, or $1,500) helps us move closer to our goal. Don't miss out on your chance to see works performed by your own Resonance artists, alongside Darrell Grant, Bobby McFerrin and more!
From our entire team, THANK YOU!
Resonance announces 15th anniversary season with guest artist Bobby McFerrin and new commission by Darrell Grant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — June 14, 2023
15 years of purpose, artistry and connection.
PORTLAND, OR—The award-winning Resonance Ensemble, under the direction of Founder and Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon, announces its 2023-24 season. REVOLUTION 15: a fifteenth anniversary season that celebrates Resonance’s mission of creating powerful programs that promote meaningful social change. Resonance unveils world premieres, welcomes innovative guest artists including the 10-time GRAMMY award winning Bobby McFerrin, and reprises new works by Resonance-commissioned composers from the past 15 years.
Known as “one of the Northwest’s finest choirs” (Willamette Week), Resonance Ensemble designs its thematic programs in collaboration with community partners to highlight the challenges and opportunities facing our world now.
“We are thrilled to announce our season, Revolution 15,” says Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon. “We love that it brings back artists who have been part of Resonance’s growth and transformation over the last 15 years, as well as showcasing our continuing commitment to new collaborations with world-class artists like Darrell Grant and Bobby McFerrin.”
Season highlights include:
The release and live concert performance of Resonance Ensemble’s debut album LISTEN
The world premiere of a new commission from popular Portland jazz artist and composer Darrell Grant
A community-building, improvised “CircleSongs” performance by vocal virtuoso Bobby McFerrin, his quartet Motion, Resonance Ensemble musicians, and local high school choir students. McFerrin joins Resonance to play our audiences as his second instrument
A recital of Black art song, curated by Damien Geter, inspired by the Portland Art Museum special exhibit “Black Artists of Oregon”
Regional premieres of works by Melissa Dunphy and Joel Thompson
Conductors Katherine FitzGibbon, Damien Geter, and Shohei Kobayashi
The return of Resonance Ensemble commissions from the past 15 years, with works by Jasmine Barnes, Kenji Bunch, Melissa Dunphy, Renee Favand-See, Damien Geter, Joe Kye, Kimberly Osberg, Judy Rose, Mari Esabel Valverde, and Freddy Vilches
“This is a packed season designed with care, community, and vision,” says board member Nancy Ives. “Seasons like this one are part of the reason I am proud to serve on Resonance’s board and believe so deeply in our mission.”
The full calendar of events can be found below, with more exciting guest appearances, artistic collaborations, and community partnerships being announced later this year. Subscriptions are available TODAY, with multiple subscription options available. Single tickets will go on sale September 1st, 2023.
For information about ticketing and subscriptions, click here.
Full Season Calendar
LISTEN
A CD Release Concert
October 14, 2023 | 7:30 PM
October 15, 2023 | 3:00 PM
Lincoln Hall 75 @ PSU
Join Resonance Ensemble for a performance of the music from our first album, LISTEN. This concert features a collection from the first ten years of Resonance’s innovative commissions and regional premieres—including works by Melissa Dunphy, Dominick DiOrio, Mari Esabel Valverde, Stacey Philipps, Lee Hoiby, Renée Favand-See, and more.
Black Art Song
curated by Damien Geter
February 25, 2024 | 7:30 PM
Resonance Ensemble’s resident Artistic Advisor Damien Geter curates a recital of art song by Black composers, surrounded by – and in conversation with – the artworks of the Portland Art Museum’s “Black Artists of Oregon” exhibit, the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon. Geter is joined by Resonance guest artists, with songs by composers Margaret Bonds, Geter, and more.
Amendments
Righting Our Wrongs
March 16, 2024 | 7:30 PM
March 17, 2024 | 3:00 PM
Amendments features the world premiere commission by Oregon composer Darrell Grant.
Also featured: selected works by Joel Thompson (best known for his opera, The Snowy Day, and powerful choral work Seven Last Words for the Unarmed) and Melissa Dunphy’s (composer of LISTEN), Amendments, a work that “juxtaposes the voices of the founding fathers with the voices of minority women fighting for universal voting rights.”
CircleSongs
with Bobby McFerrin
April 5, 2024 | 7:30 PM (BEAVERTON)
Patricia Reser Center for the Arts
April 6, 2024 | 7:30 PM (PORTLAND)
The Armory at Portland Center Stage
A healing community singing workshop by the world-renowned Bobby McFerrin and his dynamic quartet, Motion, that engages audience participation to change the world—which we will share not only with audiences but with Oregon high school choirs.
Now in his seventies, McFerrin has returned to the stage, performing his Circlesongs, the best kept secret in Berkeley, CA — until now.
Mission 15
A fifteenth anniversary concert
June 8, 2024 | 7:30 PM
The Winningstad Theatre
Our fifteenth anniversary finale concert. We celebrate this special anniversary with a performance of 15 audience-favorite Resonance commissions. This showcase speaks (sings) for itself, highlighting the mission-based art we have championed and the brilliant composers who created it.
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
Become a subscriber to our 15th season and experience “one of the Northwest’s finest choirs” exploring stories through moving, thematic concerts with world-class collaborators!
A range of season subscriptions are now available, including both full-season and customized bundles that allow you to tailor the season to serve your needs. Tickets to individual concerts will go on sale to the public on September 9th, 2023. To order, visit resonancechoral.org or call our box office at (503) 427-8701.
Note to Journalists: Katherine FitzGibbon is available for print, online, and broadcast interviews. If you would like more information on our season or would like to schedule an interview, please contact Liz Bacon Brownson at liz@resonancechoral.org or by calling 971-212-8034.
About Resonance Ensemble
In its fifteenth season, Resonance Ensemble, a professional vocal ensemble based in Portland, Oregon, creates thoughtful programs that promote meaningful social change. Resonance Ensemble works to amplify voices that have long been silenced, and they do so through moving, thematic concerts that highlight solo and choral voices, new and underrepresented composers, visual and other performing artists, and community partners. Under Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon, Resonance Ensemble has performed challenging and diverse music, always with an eye toward unusual collaborations with artistic partners from around the country: poets, jazz musicians, singer-songwriters, painters, dancers.
The Resonance Ensemble singers are “one of the Northwest’s finest choirs” (Willamette Week), with gorgeous vocal tone, and they also make music with heart. The groundbreaking work that Resonance Ensemble has been producing over the last few years has been noted by local media and national arts organizations. In Oregon Arts Watch, Matthew Andrews described Resonance as “Part social commentary, part group therapy, and part best damn choir show in town;” (June 2019) Chorus America honored Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon in the summer of 2019 with the Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal for her work rededicating Resonance to promoting meaningful social change, and for the meaningful community partnerships she creates. For the tribute to Dr. FitzGibbon, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaJMVozrcPo.
About Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon:
Katherine FitzGibbon is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Lewis & Clark College, where she conducts and oversees the vibrant voice, choral, and opera areas. In 2014, she was an inaugural winner of the Lorry Lokey Faculty Excellence Award, honoring “inspired teaching, rigorous scholarship, demonstrated leadership, and creative accomplishments,” and in 2019, she received the David Savage Award for “vision and sustained service.” She has also conducted choirs at Harvard, Boston, Cornell, and Clark Universities, and at the University of Michigan and has served on the faculty of Berkshire Choral International.
Dr. FitzGibbon founded Resonance Ensemble in 2009, initially dedicated to thematic, collaborative vocal performances with artistic partners. In the last several years, she and Resonance have shifted their mission, using the same innovative thematic programming approach to amplify voices that have long been silenced, focusing on underrepresented composers and communities. In June of 2019, Chorus America honored Dr. FitzGibbon with the prestigious Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal in recognition of her work with Resonance Ensemble. Chorus America’s press release noted, “As founder and artistic director of Resonance Ensemble, FitzGibbon has captained a bold organizational shift—from its original mission exploring links between music, art, poetry, and theater, to a new focus exclusively on presenting concerts that promote meaningful social change.”
With Resonance, she has collaborated with the Portland Art Museum, Third Angle New Music, Portland Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Lauderdale and Hunter Noack, poet/performer S. Renee Mitchell, the Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra, and many actors, composers, visual artists, and dancers. She has commissioned new works from Darrell Grant, Melissa Dunphy, Renee Favand-See, Damien Geter, Joe Kye, Judy A. Rose, Kenji Bunch, Kimberly Osberg, Freddy Vilches, Vin Shambry, Dr. S. Renee Mitchell, Mari Ésabel Valverde, and Jasmine Barnes.
Dr. FitzGibbon is President-Elect of the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and her choirs have performed at the NCCO, ACDA, and OMEA conferences. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Princeton University, Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of Michigan, and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting at Boston University. Her research has been presented and published internationally.
CLICK HERE TO MEET OUR 2023-24 Guest Artists
CLICK HERE to peruse our venues for the season
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Earth's Protection: A Concert Reflection
This past weekend, we closed the books on our fourteenth season with our first-ever festival: Earth’s Protection. Despite the rain and cooler weather, community members from all over arrived to Lewis & Clark’s beautiful campus to share in an evening of profound visual art, powerfully vibrant dance, delicious local food and drink, and - of course - a dynamic and beautifully moving program of music by living composers.
PRE-CONCERT FESTIVITIES
The evening started with a stunning array of photographs by local photographer Joe Cantrell, whose brilliant images were given further context by the artist himself as viewers took in the gallery.
Festival-attendees even had the chance to purchase these one-of-a-kind works, taking a piece of the evening home with them—along with the fascinating stories Joe shared all evening!
You can read a wonderful write-up on the profound impact of the gallery from Oregon ArtsWatch by Friderike Heuer here.
Whether festival-goers were taking in the gallery, exploring the fascinating specimens on display with members from Portland Audubon, or partaking in delicious treats from Island Shave Ice, Fuego, Koi Fuision or Booze Trucks, guests were soon beckoned indoors by the Nez Perce drumming and dancing ensemble, Four Directions.
With stunning traditional garb, insightful explanations from leader Harold Paul, and the powerful performance of the drummers and vocalists, the performance was a highlight of the pre-concert activities!
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Photographer Joe Cantrell, joined by poet and traditional storyteller Ed Edmo, began the night’s main event with a visually-impactful land acknowledgement—using a long rope to represent different points in time, culminating in the longest section (spanning the length of the concert hall) showing the vast centuries First Peoples have inhabited this region. This powerful reminder was a perfect beginning for our concert - attendees shared later that this was the clearest, truest land acknowledgment they’ve ever heard. Thank you to Joe and Ed for leading it.
THE CONCERT BEGINS!
COVID had delayed many projects, and while Jasmine Barnes’ work Normal Never Was premiered to the world in video format in 2021, Friday was the first time this piece had been performed for a live audience since it was commissioned. The piece encourages us to consider the opportunity we have to move forward as better human beings to one another than the “normal” we had before the pandemic.
Next on the program, we were pleased to feature composer and Oregon Symphony principal cellist Nancy Ives along with poet Ed Edmo for their work Songs for Celilo - scored for singing cellist.
The work commemorates the indigenous community that lived near Celilo Falls before its intentional flooding in the 1940’s when the Dalles Dam was built. Interpolated with Ed Edmo’s powerful delivery of his original poetry, the solo cello lines beautifully accompany the soaring vocal writing of the same text — drawing out both the hope and pain of the community who lost their beloved home.
Wrapping up the first half of the program, Reena Esmail’s The Tipping Point features a fantastic collaboration with Indian classical percussionist Shrikant Naware. The work juxtaposes traditional Western choral writing with traditional Indian raga patterns and vocalizations. The result is a dynamic and moving work that boldly declares, while we are “balanced on the razor’s edge,” to remember that “light always returns.”
Joined by musicians from Portland’s Fear No Music Ensemble, the second half of the program featured the Oregon premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s work Mass for the Endangered.
The work, divided into six movements, uses a mix of traditional Latin mass texts and original poetry in English by Nathaniel Bellows. Lush and playful orchestration accompanies sparkling melody lines and powerful choral textures.
When the performance concluded, audiences sat silent for nearly thirty seconds before erupting into a standing ovation. It was magical, and we couldn’t have asked for a better end to our season!
DRUM ROLL PLEASE…
Those who attended Friday’s concert were the first to hear the big news we’ll be announcing tomorrow — 15th anniversary 2023-24 season! With special guests that made our audience gasp in delight, this is an announcement you will NOT want to miss!
Unless otherwise credited, all photos in this post are by Rachel Hadiashar
Writer A. Mimi Sei Reflects on the Requiem
“Through it all, I remain hopeful that this and similar works will help America see and examine how the continued oppression of black and brown peoples shows up in her reflection. ”
A. Mimi Sei performs her work “Shout Out” at “Portland Protests” | March 2023 at Alberta House
A. Mimi Sei on a Resonance panel discussion with composer Kenji Bunch
On Sunday, May 21st, Resonance Ensemble unveils the premiere screening of Around the Requiem, a new film centering a conversation between artists and performers from An African American Requiem and moderated by Dr. S. Renee Mitchell. Filmed days before the premiere of this historic work, the film acts as a capstone to a series of materials inspired by An African American Requiem.
We celebrate the work’s one-year anniversary this month not only with the film premiere, but with additional reflections on those involved in its creation. You can read Damien Geter and Katherine FitzGibbon’s reflections here and filmmaker Kenny Hamlett’s here.
Today’s reflection comes from A. Mimi Sei—a writer, memoirist, and social justice advocate who authored the foreword to An African American Requiem’s score. Mimi has appeared with us this season as a guest poet for Portland Protests, and joins us again for the premiere film screening on Sunday as a panelist.
A. Mimi Sei | Reflecting on the Requiem
Mimi speaking with co-artistic advisor Shohei Kobayashi.
I knew when Damien called me into his classroom to hear the first concept of one of the movements that this work would be monumental. When he asked me to write the foreword, I paused but was honored. There’d been no other like it, so I did not know from where I could draw inspiration, but I hoped for divine direction. I did interview Damien and gleanings pointed to his respect for Ida B, Wells and James Baldwin. With that in mind, I wrote what spoke to my heart. The significance of the work moved me.
Mimi with singer and composer Judy A. Rose, who performed on both the Portland premiere and Washington DC performances of the Requiem.
I was also driven to do it justice, because of the significance of it, especially in these times. His calling to this arrangement is remarkably pertinent. We see the persistence of bigotry even as we are on our knees fighting this elusive enemy—COVID. Heavy shadows and difficult realities continue to overcast the light that is Black America.
Through it all, I remain hopeful that this and similar works will help America see and examine how the continued oppression of black and brown peoples shows up in her reflection. Racism and injustice tarnish the American tapestry, and this Requiem might just be one of the agents through which we begin to examine the stains, in an effort to eliminate them.
It honors many lost to injustice, taken so suddenly, some unaccounted for, and others completely forsaken. Damien remembers them. This Requiem holds such an important marker for us. It is no dirge; it is instead a clarion call for us to commit to continued activism, to stand up for the many we have lost, and to stand in the gap for those who continue to suffer at the hands of injustice.
Listen, experience it, and be a part of this light that illuminates a path to an appreciation for our shared humanity.
Mimi chats with singer DeReau K. Farrar after the premiere of her work at Portland Protests.
All photos in this post are by Rachel Hadiashar
Filmmaker Kenny Hamlett Reflects on the Requiem
“It was an absolute pleasure to be able to document and help share these stories.”
Onset at The Winningstad Theatre for “Around the Requiem”. Photo by Adam Edwards, Courtesy of Oh! Creative
Around the Requiem | Reflections
Photo by Karen Pride, courtesy of Oh! Creative
On Sunday, May 21st, Resonance Ensemble unveils the premiere screening of Around the Requiem, a new film centering on a conversation between artists and performers from An African American Requiem and moderated by Dr. S. Renee Mitchell. Filmed days before the premiere of this historic work, the film acts as a capstone to a series of materials inspired by An African American Requiem.
We celebrate its one year anniversary this month not only with the film premiere, but with additional reflections on those involved in its creation. You can read Damien Geter and Katherine FitzGibbon’s reflectons here.
Today’s reflection comes from Kenny Hamlett, with Oh! Creative Productions who served as the Director of Photography (DP) for the film. Kenny is passionate about creating stories that matter and we asked him to take a moment to share a little about what being a part of this project means to him.
We look forward to having Kenny with us for the premiere on Sunday as a guest panelist.
Photo by Karen Pride, courtesy of Oh! Creative
Kenny Hamlett | Reflecting on the Requiem
Being a Black man in the film industry as a creative, I find myself always looking to be a part of projects that focus on sharing stories that are personal and real to me.
Growing up, I struggled with my identity. What does it mean to be a Black man? I remember learning to play the violin, and feeling like I was a sellout, but I honestly wanted to be different. I didn’t like the idea of being put into a box, but that left me confused. I didn’t have people or stories I could go to that would affirm my decision to pursue things that weren’t traditionally Black.
Anyone that says they want to be a change maker knows that it starts with sharing our own stories. I love seeing Black and Brown folks challenge norms and stretch the world’s view of what it means to be a Black person and what we can and can’t do. It was so inspiring hearing about Resonance Ensemble’s project with Damien Geter and when I was invited to work with them, there was no way I could say anything but yes. I believe these sorts of stories need to be told and I’ve dedicated my career to sharing them as often as I can.
Filmmaker Kenny Hamlett on location for the Requiem Story Series | May 2022 Photo by Karen Pride, courtesy of Oh! Creative
A Free Arts and Music Festival is Coming to Portland!
“This festival is the result of artists from many disciplines and traditions working together to honor and celebrate our planet. We hope all who join us will leave with a renewed sense of ways in which we all can work together to heal our Earth.”
Resonance Ensemble presents “Earth’s Protection,” a free arts and music festival with Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered and special guests Nancy Ives, Ed Edmo, Joe Cantrell, Four Directions, and Fear No Music
PORTLAND, OR — Resonance Ensemble concludes their 2022-23 Justice For All season on Friday, June 9, with Earth’s Protection: a free festival of music, visual art, and dance—featuring special guest performances and partnerships with Portland Audubon, Fear No Music Ensemble, and Four Directions.
Harold Paul of Four Directions
Beginning at 5:00 PM, festival-goers are invited to the grounds of Lewis & Clark College to dine from local food trucks, and visit Portland-based Cherokee artist Joe Cantrell’s “Our Planet: Universe” photography exhibit with works available for purchase. At 6:30 PM attendees can enjoy a drumming and dance demonstration by the Nez Perce performing ensemble Four Directions, under the direction of Harold Paul, featuring jingle dance, fast and fancy, and circle dance—with audience participation welcomed.
Resonance is also excited to announce a new partnership with Portland Audubon, a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to wildlife conservancy. Portland Audubon will be on site to share information about initiatives audience members can implement and support and is a featured community partner for this event.
Image from the release of a rehabilitated bald eagle in downtown Portland. Provided by Portland Audubon
The afternoon of commemoration and celebration will then culminate at 7:30 pm in a concert at Agnes Flanagan Chapel. In this final concert of the season, Resonance Ensemble presents the Oregon premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered, with projections by Joe Cantrell and Deborah Johnson. Composer and Oregon Symphony principal cellist Nancy Ives performs her Songs from Celilo, with poet Ed Edmo reading his original text. Other highlights include works by Jasmine Barnes and Reena Esmail, and appearances by tabla player Shrikant Naware and the Fear No Music ensemble.
The event is free to all, and pre-registration for the seated concert in Agnes Flanagan Chapel is required.
“As we began planning this concert in partnership with Native elder artists Joe Cantrell and Ed Edmo, it became clear that our regular concert format couldn’t contain everything we wanted to share,” says Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon. “This festival is the result of artists from many disciplines and traditions working together to honor and celebrate our planet. We hope all who join us will leave with a renewed sense of ways in which we all can work together to heal our Earth.”
Left to Right: Joe Cantrell, Ed Edmo, and Nancy Ives
This event is generously sponsored by Ronni Lacroute, the Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Cultural Trust, and the Oregon Community Foundation.
Attendance is free, and donations in lieu of ticket purchase are gratefully accepted.
Concert pre-registration is required in order to ensure adequate capacity. Attendees are invited to bring blankets and lawn chairs for the pre-show picnic seating. Visit resonancechoral.org for more information.
Event Summary
The free festival, located on the grounds of Lewis & Clark College, will begin at 5:00 pm with:
A 5:00 picnic, with food available for purchase, in front of the Agnes Flanagan Chapel
The “Our Planet: Universe” exhibit of the photography of Joe Cantrell in the Diane Gregg Pavilion, adjacent to the Chapel. This collection of images will be available for purchase, with proceeds generously allocated to benefit future work of Resonance Ensemble
A 6:30 drumming and dance demonstration by the Nez Perce performing ensemble Four Directions, under the direction of Harold Paul, featuring jingle dance, fast and fancy, and circle dance—with audience participation welcomed.
The main concert event begins at 7:30 pm in the Agnes Flanagan Chapel, with free admission to those who have pre-registered, as capacity is limited. The concert includes:
The Oregon premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s powerful work Mass for the Endangered with video designed by Deborah Johnson (CandyStations), conducted by Resonance Ensemble Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon, with the vocalists of Resonance Ensemble and instrumentalists of Fear No Music Ensemble.
The performance of an original work, Songs for Celilo, by composer-cellist Nancy Ives. Scored for “singing cellist,” this work includes original poetry and narration by renowned writer Ed Edmo (Shoshone-Bannock), with projected imagery by photographer Joe Cantrell (Cherokee). Songs for Celilo pays tribute to the human, cultural, and environmental costs of the 1957 flooding of Celilo Falls by the Dalles Dam installation.
The first live performance of Resonance’s pandemic-era commission Normal Never Was, by composer Jasmine Barnes
Tabla player Shrikant Naware will join Resonance Ensemble to perform Reena Esmail’s The Tipping Point
Note to Journalists: Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon, composer Nancy Ives, and photographer Joe Cantrell are available for print, online, and broadcast interviews. If you would like more information or would like to schedule an interview, please contact Liz Bacon Brownson at liz@resonancechoral.org or by calling (503) 427-8701.
FOR CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS
EVENT TITLE: Resonance Ensemble Presents: Earth’s Protection
TIME & DATE: Friday, June 9th | Festival begins at 5:00pm, Concert begins at 7:30pm
LOCATION: Lewis & Clark College: The Agnes Flanagan Chapel (615 S. Palatine Hill Rd)
PRICING: Admission is free, but pre-registration is required. Donations in lieu of ticket purchase are gratefully accepted.
Umatilla Indian women beside Celilo Falls on the Columbia River, 1899 - Courtesy of Washington Rural Heritage Museum
Resources and additional program information coming later this month - check back soon to see how you can enhance your experience!
Unless otherwise indicated, all photos in this release are by Rachel Hadiashar
Around The Requiem: An interview with Damien Geter & Katherine FitzGibbon
“Being able to sit with Dr. Mitchell, Onry (a member of the choir), the conductor Bill Eddins, and the soloists—who are also some of my closest friends —it was just really special. To see my friends doing their thing—I felt very proud to have been able to bring them along on the journey—and to be able to take a moment to talk about it on camera…It was just great.”
As we look forward to the premiere of our short film, “Around the Requiem,” we reflect with some of the artists who made ”An African American Requiem” possible.
This week, Resonance Ensemble Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon and composer Damien Geter met for a conversation about Geter’s pivotal work, “An African American Requiem,“ his ongoing work with Resonance, and how Kathy and Damien’s partnership came to be.
Photo by Karen Pride
Kathy: As you know, Resonance premieres a short film later this month called “Around the Requiem.” I thought it would be interesting for us to talk about our partnership to give folks a sense of how Resonance got involved with your work and who we are together as collaborators. First, how did you get involved with Resonance Ensemble?
Damien: Well, I moved to Portland in 2015. And ironically, Kathy is the sister of a very good friend of mine from when I lived in Indianapolis. And when I moved to Portland, Resonance hired me as a singer.
Kathy: We loved having you sing with us! And you even decided to join our board – why?
Damien: Well, the mission of Resonance aligned with my own personal artistic goals and philosophy. I think that the work that Resonance does is important in the world because it uses art in one of the ways that art should be used, and that is to promote social causes. It was a natural fit for me to join the board. Since then, I’ve taken on the role of Artistic Advisor, alongside the great Shohei Kobayashi. We are currently working on season 2023-24, which is going to be amazing.
Kathy: Let’s talk about An African American Requiem. How did it feel composing and premiering it, knowing it was in the hands of Resonance?
Damien: Well, I knew it was in good hands. I could write anything that I wanted, and I knew that it was going to be fine because not only is the group politically astute, but also musically just a beast. I knew I could write whatever I wanted to.
Photo by Rachel Hadiashar
Photo by Rachel Hadiashar
Damien: What was it like for you, when you started rehearsing the piece?
Kathy: Honestly, it was a dream come true. It felt like a weighty responsibility because I believe in you so completely, and I believe in your music. And I felt and I knew in my bones that An African American Requiem was going to be a generational piece of music that could really transform the dialogue, certainly here in Portland, but also nationally. By the time we got to rehearsals in 2022, having had our interrupted attempt in 2020, we knew it was going to be live-broadcasted coast to coast and syndicated thereafter by All Classical Portland. We also knew we were going to be able to do it both with the Oregon Symphony in Portland and then with the Choral Arts Society of Washington at the Kennedy Center. I knew it had the potential to have a huge impact.
Damien: It felt good to know I could count on Resonance to do this right.
Kathy: Thinking back on the time you were composing it, I felt so honored that you had let me into the compositional process. I had seen it PDF by PDF as it was being born over the period of a couple of years, really. And I felt so much love for the music and such a belief in the music that I wanted to be sure the performance was worthy of it. The stakes were so critical, and I wanted to give everything possible. It's really, of the things I have done in my life besides having my family, the most important thing I've ever been attached to. Thanks for trusting me with it, Damien.
Photo by Rachel Hadiashar
Damien: Yeah, thanks for trusting me. Because really, I had not written anything on that scale before. Honestly, some of those moments just poured out of me. I'm not going to say that it was easy to write, but there were certain movements that... For example, The Confutatis. I wrote that in a day.
Kathy: Oh, my goodness.
Damien: And then once I had the idea for Lacrimosa, that took longer to write because it was a little bit more complicated, but it didn't take me very long to write.
Kathy: Some composers write the tune in a basic harmonization, and then later on, they go back and do the orchestral detail. The thing that surprised me about witnessing your process, was that it flowed out of you fully orchestrated. You heard the whole orchestral color in your imagination as you were writing and it was like you had the three-dimensional picture of what you wanted the music to be from the very beginning.
Damien: Yeah, the piece was pretty much fully formed as it went along. To think that it was supposed to be this little short Requiem originally, and then as I moved forward, it was just like, no, we actually need to say this.
Kathy: What did it feel like to you to sit at the world premiere in Portland with Resonance, with the Oregon Symphony, and with the soloists who are not only amazing artists, but your friends? Can you describe that feeling?
Damien Geter with Oregon Symphony President and CEO Scott Showalter and flutist Adam Eccleston backstage at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
Photo by Rachel Hadiashar
Damien: Honestly, I was sitting in there and trying to listen to it as if I did not write it and just listen to it as an audience member. And I think I was pretty successful in doing that. But at the same time, when I was sitting there, it felt like I was in another world because the moment was there.
Also, just to see the impact that the piece has on people. After I conducted it [in January with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra], this woman came up to me and she was like, I just got to tell you, I grew up in a racist household. And she told me that the Requiem changed her heart. This was down in Texas. I was like, okay, that says a lot. So, we need to get this thing out in the world. I'm really honored to have been a vessel to make this. I have nothing to do with it, I just put the notes on the page.
Kathy: Do you remember the “Around the Requiem” filming? What was that like?
Damien: This was filmed on the Winningstad Theatre stage - two days before the actual premiere of the Requiem. Remember, the original premiere had been delayed for two years. The piece was finished two years before that. So there were all these years, literally, that had passed. And then it was suddenly actually happening — and to think the whole hall was sold out. That was really cool. I don’t remember exactly what we talked about, but I do remember it was filmed in the middle of a whirlwind week of rehearsals and interviews and I was feeling excited and emotional about everything.
Kathy: I remember that so well. I was so happy it was finally happening. Do you remember what sitting on that film set was like?
Around the Requiem cast on stage at The Winningstad Theatre - May 2022 Photo Courtesy of Oh! Creative
Damien: Yeah, so being able to sit with Dr. Mitchell, Onry (a member of the choir), the conductor Bill Eddins, and the soloists—who are also some of my closest friends —it was just really special. To see my friends doing their thing—I felt very proud to have been able to bring them along on the journey—and to be able to take a moment to talk about it on camera…It was just great.
Kathy: I am looking forward to watching it with you on May 21 and remembering some of this journey we’ve been on together. Thank you, Damien, for trusting Resonance with this historic work.
Damien: Thank you, Kathy, for believing in it. I knew it was in good hands with Resonance Ensemble, and I was right.
Attendance for Around the Requiem on May 21st is free, but registration is required. To register today, or for more information, visit our event page.
