ENGAGE: Program Notes
Optimism. Action. Community.
ENGAGE is a direct descendant of UPLIFT, the 2018 set of compositions dedicated to positive action. We will be following up with all the organizations and causes invoked in that piece. And engaged in community and activism. People showed up in 2018, and our hope is that this trend will continue. We are going to need to be engaged to make the changes that will save our environment, our equality, our sciences and humanities. My hope is that everyone, in every field, will be involved and engaged in this work. Writing and performing these pieces is a reminder to myself not to get mired in the negativity — to stay positive and engaged through music daily.
We’re digging into that optimism musically in these pieces. The compositional rule was simply to build them all out of major triads. Each of the twelve pieces approaches that in a different way, and they were built for this collaborative and communicative ensemble with Anna Webber (alto and bass flutes, tenor sax), Tomeka Reid (cello), Jeff Parker (guitar), Nick Dunston (bass), and Kate Gentile (drums).
On some of the monthly pieces, we will be joined by trumpeters Dave Adewumi and Riley Mulherkar. I can’t wait to share the whole series with you. ENGAGE.
If you know someone who would like to hear this music and be engaged with Greenleaf Music, please pass this link along to them.
