BLURRED ORIGINS: REDEFINING CULTURE THROUGH MUSIC
A new work for cello and piano that redefines cultural identity through the individual's experience
Science tells us it is human nature to categorize the people we meet, yet we know there is so much more to every person than meets the eye. Our increasingly globalized and transnational society has blurred the lines of cultural identity beyond recognition, but our incessant cataloging and labelling regularly erases parts of us that are integral to who we are, limiting us to the most simplified characteristics of our identities. Our purpose in this project is to start a conversation about redefining culture through the creation, recording, and performance of a new work for cello and piano that draws upon our individual experiences. The work will exist alongside a collection of five filmed interviews. Three will be our own personal “origin stories,” and two more of friends and colleagues who faced similar experiences. To foreground each individual’s narrative, the musical work will be a multi-movement piece, with a movement dedicated to each story.
Media Highlights
GatherNYC: Majel Connery + Felix Fan: Rivers are our Brothers
Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019
New England Philharmonic and Cantata Singers Present – A Messiah for Our Time
Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory
Glass Menagerie Chorus “The Road Home”
Church of the Holy Apostles 296 9th Avenue (at 28th Street) New York, NY 10001