And Is Renewed

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”
— Maya Angelou

RENEWAL noun
the act of starting again
a situation in which something begins again after having stopped for a period of time
a process of improving and repairing
— Cambridge English Dictionary, Macmillan Dictionary

How do we find hope and renewal in the face of a seemingly unchangeable present? How does our past inform our future?

The above words by Maya Angelou so beautifully articulate the innate human drive to see our history and build something anew. There is a fundamental human craving to build a new life and to create art out of a fractured and multifaceted past. The idea that our lives are in a constant state of creation even after periods of seemingly lost time or catastrophe is one of great hope and is what drove the creation of And Is Renewed.

And Is Renewed is a 60-minute recital, featuring the music of Tonia Ko, Libby Larsen, Jocelyn Morlock, Thea Musgrave, and Sarah Kirkland Snider, all living women composers whose writing embodies the intention to have classical music reflect our society today. The title of the recital comes from the last line of the first piece on the program, Smoke and Distance by Tonia Ko, which merges the timeline of memory and future. I wanted to create a program that would immediately immerse the audience into the arc of past reflection, present acceptance, and future renewal in the face of life-changing events and encounters, by weaving the text and music of incredibly distinct and modern female voices.

And Is Renewed was premiered at The Box Factory, New York, as part of the Women NOW Festival by EXTENSITY Concert Series on March 5, 2022, with pianist Nicole Cloutier.

PROGRAM

TONIA KO: Smoke and Distance

LIBBY LARSEN: Try Me, Good King

JOCELYN MORLOCK: Amore

THEA MUSGRAVE: Songs for a Winter’s Evening

SARAH KIRKLAND SNIDER: How Graceful Some Things Are, Falling Apart

Watch a clip from the premiere