Join us at ABYA YALA this weekend. Some words from our Artistic Director.
Composer Freddy Vilches and Conductor Katherine FitzGibbon
PHOTO: RACHEL HADIASHAR
We look forward to being in this beautiful space at Cerimon House - together in ABYA YALA - with all of you.
— Katherine FitzGibbon, Artistic Director
One of my students attended a Resonance rehearsal earlier this week, and she described herself afterwards as overwhelmed by the marriage of the music’s stories and drama, the skill of the singers, and the passion for justice embodied in the program. She said, “It became so clear to me: Resonance’s mission inspires the art, and the art inspires the mission.”
This insightful comment made me think about how this concert came together. Freddy Vilches reached out with an idea for a choral suite that would explore indigenous connections with the land and with their history that transcends colonial and geopolitical borders. We were thrilled to commission him to create this work. His friendships with indigenous poets from across Latin America, and his own lived experience and musical versatility, led him to create the magnificent work you’ll hear today. Drawing upon musical styles and instrumentation from the regions being spotlighted, Freddy has woven together a choral suite that, as Freddy says, “vindicates” the historical connections, languages, and cultural traditions of each poet.
Freddy’s art inspired the mission. We began learning deeply – from Freddy about the experiences of the poets, and in conversations with Oregon indigenous communities – and the program began to take shape. Gabriela Lena Frank’s Hombre errante, with its dramatic storytelling of an Andean people ripped from their homes; Jerod Impichchaachaawa’ Tate’s Taloowa chipota’, which depicts traditional stomp dances; and Mari Esabel Valverde’s Border Lines, with its message about how border lines only exist in sand. While we chose this work months ago, the attack on Ukraine painfully amplifies its resonance today.
In addition to reading about local organizations and resources supporting the indigenous communities in our region, we invite you to hear directly from indigenous creators—Freddy, Mari, and photographer Joe Cantrell—in a discussion following the concert.
We look forward to being in the beautiful space at Cerimon House - together in ABYA YALA - with all of you. We hope you can join us this weekend, either in person or online.
— Katherine FitzGibbbon, President and Artistic Director