Justice for All? Resonance Ensemble announces its 2022-2023 Season
Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon, Artistic Director
Resonance Ensemble - under the direction of Founder and Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon - announces its 2022-2023 season, which explores stories, recognizes inequities, and imagines the possibilities in a world that is grounded in justice for all.
“At the end of last season, we premiered Damien Geter’s gripping An African American Requiem here and in Washington, D.C., which galvanized a national conversation about racial injustice,” says FitzGibbon. “But as we planned ways to keep the conversation going, the Supreme Court released a series of devastating decisions that negatively impact both our planet and the people who call it home. For this reason, and to continue the Resonance mission of creating powerful programs that promote meaningful social change, our 2022-2023 concert season will be programmed around this key question: JUSTICE FOR ALL?”
Dr. Shohei Kobayashi, Co-Artistic Advisor
Joining Resonance’s artistic team is Shohei Kobayashi, who will serve as co-Artistic Advisor with Damien Geter. Dr. Kobayashi, Director of Choral Activities at Reed College and a long-time Resonance performer and board member, will make their Resonance conducting debut in March.
“I'm happy to join the Resonance team and eager to make music with the group,” said Kobayashi. “To get to participate in Resonance's pursuit of meaningful programming and collaborate with some of the best vocal artists in Portland is an honor I look forward to greatly.”
Nancy Ives, composer-cellist
Other highlights of the season include:
World premieres of groundbreaking new commissions by Kenji Bunch, Kimberly R. Osberg, and Judy A. Rose in collaboration with Portland poets
The revival of Resonance’s 2019 commission of Melissa Dunphy’s LISTEN
Guest artists including Poet in Residence Dr. S. Renee Mitchell, storyteller Vin Shambry, composer-cellist Nancy Ives, and pianist David Saffert
A partnership with Fear No Music to produce the Portland premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered, with video projections by visual performance designer Deborah Johnson (CandyStations) and art by photographer Joe Cantrell.
Explore all of the featured artists from the season in our new Featured Artists Gallery!
Featured artists for Portland Protests program: Kimberly R. Osberg (top left), Judy A. Rose (bottom left), Dr. Shohei Kobayashi (left middle), Kenji Bunch (right middle), Dr. S. Renee Mitchell (top right), and Vin Shambry (bottom right).
For details about each concert, please see below. Season subscriptions are now available, including both full-season and customized bundles. Tickets to individual concerts will go on sale to the public on September 8, 2022. Visit resonancechoral.org or send a message to info@resonancechoral.org for more information!
We Dissent
smashing the patriarchy
Mainstage Concert #1
Saturday, October 1 @ 7:30 pm | Sunday, October 2 @ 3:00 pm
Alberta House | 5131 NE 23rd Ave
Recent decisions by the Supreme Court and state-level governments are preventing individuals from making choices about their own bodies. Resonance opens the season with a concert focusing on reproductive justice and bodily autonomy, featuring an all-treble voices choir.
This concert includes a revival of the 2019 Resonance commission LISTEN, a gut-punching work by Melissa Dunphy which adapts testimonies from Christine Blasey Ford and Anita Hill. Also on the program are works by Mari Esabel Valverde, Suzanne Vega, the Wailin’ Jennys, and other voices smashing the patriarchy.
Video access available live and afterwards; donations gratefully accepted
Portland Protests
dreams for our city
Mainstage Concert #2
Saturday, March 18th @ 7:30 pm | Sunday, March 19 @ 3:00 pm
Alberta House | 5131 NE 23rd Ave
Guest conductor and co-Artistic Advisor Shohei Kobayashi curates a concert inspired by Portland’s 2020 racial justice protests, the militarized response against the protesters, and the opportunity to envision a more just and peaceful Portland. Along with music by David Lang and Margaret Bonds, the concert includes three world premiere commissions pairing Portland poets (including Dr. S. Renee Mitchell and Vin Shambry) and composers (Kenji Bunch, Kimberly R. Osberg, and Judy A. Rose). Internationally-famed artist and Portlander Henk Pander’s oil paintings depicting the scenes of 2020 provide a powerful backdrop for this concert, inspiring the newly-created musical works.
Video access available live and afterwards; donations gratefully accepted
Earth’s Protection
justice for our planet
June 2023
Outdoor Location TBA
The final concert of the season explores the devastating impacts of industrialized society on our planet, indigenous cultures, and climate change. Presented in partnership with Fear No Music, this multimedia event features the West Coast premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered, with live video designed by Deborah Johnson (CandyStations). The event will also feature artwork by photographer by Joe Cantrell. Beloved Oregon Symphony principal cellist and composer Nancy Ives performs Songs for Celilo, her original work for singing cellist, paying tribute to the human, cultural, and planetary costs of the 1957 flooding of Celilo Falls by the Dalles Dam.
Dirty, Stupid Music vol. 3
cabaret with an edge
SPECIAL FUNDRAISING CONCERT!
Sunday, January 15 @ 3:00 pm | 7:30 pm
Curious Comedy Theater | 5225 NE MLK
Resonance brings back this popular cabaret show - the title inspired by Erik Satie’s description of his cabaret music as “more stupid and dirty than anything.” In this special fundraising event, guests will be able to win spectacular prizes through raffles, silent auctions, and more. Featured performers include pianist David Saffert and vocalists Madeline Ross, Cecille Elliott, Shohei Kobayashi, Brandon Michael, and Erik Hundtoft. Enjoy cocktails, music, and more at the Curious Comedy Theatre for two special performances whose biting commentary threads the needle between entertainment and incitement.