Between Worlds spotlights Indigenous storytelling
Photo by Chris Rainier // Gene Tagaban, Raven Dancer
“Through its commissions, MOR has increasingly underscored the relevance of the past to present-day threats to human rights.”
–Seattle Times
Music of Remembrance Presents
Between Worlds Spotlighting Indigenous Storytelling
World Premiere: Raven in the Box of Daylight
in Collaboration with Renowned Tlingit Glass Sculptor
Preston Singletary
Plus chamber works by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, Gerard Schwarz, Paul Ben-Haim, Géza Frid, and Osvaldo Golijov
Featuring Whim W’Him Seattle Contemporary Dance
October 29, 2023 • Benaroya Hall, Seattle
SEATTLE, WA – October 3, 2023 – This month, Music of Remembrance kicks off its 26th season with Between Worlds, an evening of live chamber music, dance, and storytelling that will spotlight the creative traditions of Indigenous artists. MOR is best known for its commissions, which it considers testimonies for tomorrow – persuasive works that explore the consequences of intolerance toward the other. Recent premieres have included works addressing the separation of families at the US-Mexico border, the worldwide refugee crisis, and the threat of nuclear war.
On October 29, 2023, at Benaroya Hall, that rich history of commissions continues to grow, with a multimedia world premiere sharing the perspectives of three Indigenous artists across disparate creative genres: improvisatory violin, storytelling, and glass sculpture.
“We’ve taken an increasingly broad view of what our mission calls on us to do,” said Music of Remembrance Artistic Director Mina Miller. “At our founding, we were one of very few groups to focus on music by Holocaust-era composers who had been silenced. As interest in this repertoire has grown, it’s allowed us to focus on commissioning works that address the Holocaust’s lessons in new ways. The works on this program are an eloquent testimony to the power of art, and artists, to stand firm against injustice.”
This season’s premieres bring the organization’s total commissions to 45 new works, including song cycles, chamber works, operas, film scores, and choreography – all using art to confront compelling issues in today’s world.
Left: storyteller Gene Tagaban // Right: glass sculptor Preston Singletary
The centerpiece of this concert will be the world premiere of MOR commission Raven in the Box of Daylight, a multimedia piece integrating performances by improvisatory violinist Swil Kanim, a member of the Lummi Nation, and Cherokee and Tlingit storyteller Gene Tagaban with filmed sculpture by renowned Tlingit glass artist Preston Singletary. Raven legends have been passed down for centuries among many tribes in the Pacific Northwest, and Singletary’s work is widely recognized for its juxtaposition of Tlingit traditional designs with glass, as well as his use of music to shape his contemporary viewpoint of Native culture.
“The artistic perspective of Indigenous people reflects a unique and vital language,” said Singletary, whose glasswork subverts the notion that Native artists are inherently best when working with traditional materials and forms. “I advocate on behalf of all Indigenous people –affirming that we are still here – and that we are declaring who we are through our art in connection to our culture.”
Whim W’Him Contemporary Dance
With choreography by Olivier Wevers, Between Worlds will also feature Whim W’Him Contemporary Dance performing Osvaldo Golijov’s Lullaby and Doina, which depicts the doomed young love of a Jewish woman and a Roma man. The piece begins with a set of variations on a Yiddish lullaby, whose theme eventually morphs into a dense and dark doina – a slow, rubato Roma musical style that becomes even more evocative with the added dimension of movement.
“Dancers help us to connect with our own bodies and to feel a sense of kinship with others,” says Wevers. “They help us to see the world with fresh eyes, to connect with our emotions, and to find a sense of purpose and belonging in the world.”
Chickasaw classical composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate
Written by Chickasaw classical composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, Pisachi for String Quartet is named for the Chickasaw word for reveal. The chamber work is influenced by Pueblo and Hopi musical styles, including Buffalo Dance and Elk Dance, and was commissioned by leading contemporary string quartet ETHEL for their project Documerica, an homage to the American Indian Southwest.
The concert also includes a piano trio by Hungarian-born Géza Frid, who faced mortal danger as a stateless Jew in occupied Amsterdam but still organized clandestine concerts and helped the Dutch resistance as a document forger. There’s music by Paul Ben-Haim, who was barred from German musical life and emigrated to Palestine to become one of the most important creative figures in the emerging Jewish state. And Gerard Schwarz’s In Memoriam is a moving tribute to the remarkable cellist David Tonkonogui, who died far too early.
“With the David Tonkonogui Memorial Award for Young Artists, we help nurture the careers of young musicians who use their art to advance human rights and social justice,” said Artistic Director Mina Miller. “We’re thrilled to present Leyna Kitahama, the 2021 recipient of this award, as a soloist for Between Worlds. As we honor memory and speak out with stories the world needs to hear, we can’t forget to bring young people along on the journey that will eventually be theirs to lead.”
Between Worlds
Sunday, October 29, 2023 @ 5:30 pm
Benaroya Hall (200 University Street)
Seattle, Washington
Tickets $60; Students $25 (ID required)
musicofremembrance.org/worlds
Full Program:
Gerard Schwarz: In Memoriam (MOR commission) Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the passing of David Tonkonogui
Featuring Leyna Kitahama, cello, recipient of the 2021 David Tonkonogui Memorial Award
Jerod I. Tate: Pisachi for String Quartet
World Premiere: Raven in the Box of Daylight (MOR commission)
with Swil Kanim, violin; Gene Tagaban, storyteller/dancer; Preston Singletary, artist
Paul Ben-Haim: Three Songs Without Words, arrangement for Viola and Piano
Géza Frid: Piano Trio
Osvaldo Golijov: Lullaby and Doina (MOR dance commission, 2017)
Choreography by Olivier Wevers with dancers Andrew McShea and Nell Josephine
Whim W’Him Seattle Contemporary Dance
Music of Remembrance Ensemble: Jeffrey Barker, flute; Laura DeLuca, clarinet; Mikhail Shmidt, violin; Natasha Bazhanov, violin; Susan Gulkis Assadi, viola; Walter Gray, cello; Joseph Kaufman, double bass; Jessica Choe, piano
About Music of Remembrance
Established in 1998, Music of Remembrance (MOR) has made a unique impact through works that honor the resilience of all people excluded or persecuted for faith, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. Its programs pay tribute to historic memory – and directly confront challenges to human rights and dignity today. In addition to its work discovering and performing music from the Holocaust, MOR is admired around the world for its leadership in commissioning and premiering new works by leading composers, including varied chamber ensembles, song cycles, choral works, dance music, film scores, musical dramas, and full-length operas. MOR’s online concerts, nine albums, three documentary films, and many outreach programs have added to the impact experienced by live audiences. MOR’s annual David Tonkonogui Memorial Award welcomes new generations along on this journey, nurturing young musicians who seek to address issues of human rights through their art.
About Swil Kanim
US Army Veteran, classically trained violinist, and native storyteller Swil Kanim is a member of the Lummi Nation. Because of his unique ability to inspire audiences to express themselves honorably, Kanim is a sought-after keynote speaker for conferences, workshops, school assemblies, and rehabilitation centers. He travels extensively throughout the United States, enchanting audiences with his original composition music and native storytelling. His workshops, The Elements of Honor, are attended by people from all walks of life. Kanim considers himself and his music to be the product of a well-supported public school music program which helped him process the traumas associated with his early placement into the foster care system. Kanim’s compositions incorporate classical influences as well as musical interpretations of his journey from depression and despair to spiritual and emotional freedom.
About Preston Singletary
Preston Singletary’s art has become synonymous with the relationship between Tlingit culture and fine art. His glass sculptures deal with themes of Tlingit mythology and traditional designs, while also using music to shape his contemporary perspective of Native culture. Singletary started blowing glass at the Glass Eye studios and attended the Pilchuck Glass School in WA. Singletary began working at the glass studio of Benjamin Moore, where he broadened his skills by assisting Dante Marioni, Richard Royal, Dan Dailey, Lino Tagliapietra, and started to develop his own work. Now recognized internationally, Singletary’s works are included in the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), the Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, WA), the Ethnographic Museum (Stockholm), The National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh) The British Museum (London), The National Museum of The American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (Washington DC) as well as two solo exhibitions that toured multiple venues originating with the Museum of Glass (Tacoma, WA).
About Gene Tagaban
Gene Tagaban, “One Crazy Raven” is an influential storyteller, trainer, speaker, mentor, and performer. Tagaban is of the Takdeintaan clan, the Raven, Freshwater Sockeye clan from Hoonah, AK, and is the Child of the Wooshkeetaan clan, the Eagle, Shark clan from Juneau, AK. He is Cherokee, Tlingit, and Filipino and is a board member and trainer for the Native Wellness Institute. Tagaban’s storytelling has been featured at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Kansas City Storytelling Festival, the Bay Area Storytelling Festival in Berkeley, St. Louis Storytelling Festival, and the Singapore International Storytelling Festival, and has performed alongside the Dalai Lama and Jane Goodall. He can be seen on Northwest Indian News and the Native Entertainment Network and is featured in the films Shadow of the Salmon and The Business of Fancydancing. Tagaban travels across the country facilitating workshops on suicide prevention, empowerment, leadership, relationship-building, communication skills, self-awareness, spirit, and honor to participants of all ages.
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