HOME — A RECLAMATION OF SPACE
October 2nd, 2021 | 7:30 PM | Cerimon House (5131 NE 23rd Avenue) ONLY 50 TICKETS SOLD!
Tickets available for a limited audience; please see our Health & Safety Policy. Patrons must show proof of vaccination and masks must be worn at all times.
Single Tickets ON SALE NOW
Resonance proudly partners with Operation Nightwatch
HOME is generously supported by Tom and Donna Nguyen
Video access available live and afterwards on this page and our YouTube channel; donations gratefully accepted.
Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake
Resonance Ensemble presents a concert of works curated by Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake, —the highly-regarded conductor of the Los Angeles vocal ensemble Tonality. Tonality’s mission parallels Resonance’s, seeking to “deliver authentic stories through voice and body to incite change, understanding, and dialogue.” This exciting event is taking place at the beautiful Cerimon House for a limited audience, and streamed live for listeners everywhere.
Dr. Blake has chosen a program exploring displacement, sharing the stories of poets and composers writing about houselessness, refugee experiences, and immigration. He will lead Resonance in new music by Reena Esmail, Ted Hearne, Melissa Dunphy, Saunder Choi, Cristian Larios, Nathan Heldman, Ysaye Barnwell, and others. “I hope everyone will join us to be a part of this conversation that explores how we can create a new radical hospitality and help those who are the most vulnerable in our communities feel uplifted and validated,” says Blake.
Vin Shambry, a local writer, actor, and storyteller is also featured on the program. “My impact is to inspire audience members to connect with the ‘human-ness’ of one another,” says Shambry. “Perhaps the next time they encounter a homeless youth, a survivor of domestic violence, or a black teenage boy, they’ll remember my story and see them with curiosity as a whole, a complex person much like themselves.”
Resonance is also proud to partner with Operation Nightwatch, a Portland nonprofit organization which provides nighttime hospitality for Portland’s unhoused population—committed to promoting dignity, community and social connection. Founded in 1981, Operation Nightwatch provides not only a safe place where those on the streets can find food, socks, clothing, blankets, and medical care, but also caring staff and volunteers who will listen to their stories and welcome them as friends.
Libby Allen, the Program Manager at Operation Nightwatch’s downtown hospitality center
“We were both inspired and delighted when Resonance reached out to us to partner with Operation Nightwatch on this project,” said Libby Allen, the Program Manager at Operation Nightwatch’s downtown hospitality center. “Our missions overlap beautifully, both centering a creative approach to social change. Resonance through arts and music, and Operation Nightwatch through radical hospitality. We look forward to contributing ideas and tangible ways folks can join us in providing our unhoused neighbors with dignity, community, and connection.”
“HOME explores the idea of reclaiming space in the world and maintaining one’s sense of home even after being displaced or houseless,” Resonance Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon says. “It’s no secret that Portland’s housing crisis has been worsened by the pandemic, and refugees from around the world are fleeing their ancestral homelands in search of safety and basic rights. Resonance hopes to shine light on these stories with the help of our incredible guest conductor, Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake, who is an artist of vision and purpose, and our new community partners at Operation Nightwatch.”
A panel discussion will follow with Dr. Blake, artists, and community partners speaking on the music, their experiences, and opportunities for the audience to take action in their communities. In addition to tickets for a limited audience at Cerimon House, Resonance is also proud to present a livestream of the concert for donations only, thanks to Resonance’s new REAP Initiative.
Subscriptions are on sale now. Single tickets available starting September 28, 2021.