COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: Joe Kye
Over the next few weeks, Resonance features composers and artists whose work will be performed at the Safe Harbor concert on March 1st.
We continue with celebrated Portland-based performer, violinist/looper, and composer Joe Kye. Resonance Ensemble will unveil Kye’s newly-commissioned work, integrating folk music from Kye’s native Korea with American folk music and improvisation.
“My new work will have its world premiere on March 1st with my favorite Portland choir, Resonance Ensemble at Alberta Rose Theatre. Korean lullabies, folk rhythms with percussionist Darian Anthony Patrick, and uplifting choral harmonies...DON’T MISS THIS SHOW. I’m very proud of this piece, and I can’t wait to share it with you.”
Joe Kye’s new music video premieres on PopMatters today! “It's the American dream as it should be, Kye reaching across the divide with music to try and heal it - for everyone.” Take a watch:
Photo: Jason Sinn Photography
All my life I’ve listened.
As an infant, I rode on my mother’s back, my ear pressed between her shoulder blades, the muffled hum of her lullaby enveloping me as I drifted off to sleep.
At age six, I first heard the guttural sounds of English and recoiled at its harsh “s” and t” sounds, uncommon in the Korean language. These tall, white Americans sounded like spitting snakes.
In third grade, I remember my parents murmuring in hushed tones, wondering how they’d afford next month’s rent. In just two years in the United States, we’d whittled through our savings, the American Dream unveiling itself as but a tantalizing mirage.
And before I left for college, I listened as my parents sat me down to apologize, wiping away tears for all they were unable to provide, the grief and regrets of first-generation immigrant parents poured out onto our dining room table.
It wasn’t until I’d graduated, four years into teaching high school English in Seattle, that I finally began to listen to myself. From lullabies to Sibelius, Korean sitcoms to Stevie Wonder, I’d lived my life in the margins, absorbing the eclectic, unsure of my place in the world. But as I watched my students dream, grow, and find their place, I realized I’d never given myself the opportunity to pursue the one thing that afforded me true joy: music.
And so I left—a stable career, security and stability in the rearview, to synthesize and embark on a quest to give voice to my world, my identity.
This past summer, when Resonance Ensemble approached me about composing for Safe Harbor, I was overjoyed. How could I write a collaborative piece that gave voice—quite literally, in this case—to the anxieties of little Joe? The regrets of mama and papa Kye? How could I recognize these disquiets while also reassuring listeners that there is a different way? That we, with our individual hopes and dreams, can come together to build a community that allows each to express and pursue these fully, regardless of race, gender, class, or sexual orientation?
This very moment, our country continues to rip children away from their mothers. Our country continues to incarcerate fathers and brothers for the purpose of profit. Our country continues to justify the sins of the violent and powerful, choosing instead to blame victims for their suffering.
And so, in the face of these oppressions, I offer my voice—this collaborative performance with Resonance. I offer a meditation of empowerment, a dwelling place for the rekindling of compassion, a sonic clearing in which we can feel, together, what the alternative looks like.
Mark your calendars, friends. March 1st. Join us—all of us.
WE NEED YOU. Resonance Ensemble is able to commission artists like Joe Kye because of the generous support from listeners like you. Please consider donating to the Dinah Dodds Fund for the Creation of New Art today.
WHO IS JOE KYE?
Born in Korea and raised in Seattle, violinist- looper and vocalist Joe Kye has drawn rave reviews since launching his career, “discharging world[s] of emotion” and delivering “divine messages” with his lush string loops and eclectic style (Guitar World). Drawing upon his migrant upbringing, Kye blends indie-rock, jazz, classical, and pop to create a unique sound that “leaves everyone in awe” (Sac News and Review). With his innovative use of digital effects and looping, Kye weaves together diverse textures, catchy melodies, and rich, sweet vocals to create songs that groove, uplift, and empower listeners: "A single violinist...one mesmerizing symphony" (Sacramento Bee). A powerful storyteller with an inclusive sense of humor, Joe’s performances weave his immigrant narrative through his show, inspiring audiences to compassion and empathy in these divisive times.
For more information about Joe Kye, CLICK HERE
For more information about Darian Anthony Patrick CLICK HERE