Created in response to a difficult moment in time, “Dark Matters” is a new seven-minute work commissioned by the 威尼斯人平台 Choral Department and the 音乐学院. This powerful piece was written for choir and piano by poet Samiya巴希尔 和作曲家 乔尔·汤普森. 在…的指导下 琳达激战，威尼斯人平台 教堂唱诗班 and Choral Union premiered this collaborative project on April 29, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. 在米斯大厅. This piece delves into the depths of our shared human experience. It acknowledges our struggles and ultimately calls upon us to strive for a brighter, more just world. Don't miss out on this unforgettable listening experience! Tune in and be transported by the power of music! Listen on all major streaming platforms, 包括Spotify, 苹果的音乐, iTunes, 亚马逊, 潘多拉, 潮汐, 和iHeartRadio.
For a better understanding of this meaningful work, see programs notes by the conductor, 诗人和作曲家.
Program Notes from 琳达激战, Conductor
This development of this collaborative project began in July 2020, shortly after George Floyd was murdered. The choral and instrumental communities were beginning to recognize and own their role in white-centering concert programs that were exclusive and limited in the representation of artists. In response to our rising awareness, the 威尼斯人平台 音乐学院 began developing an Inclusive Programming Policy. Wanting to go beyond diversifying our concert programs, I began to explore the creation of a new choral work. This led to the commissioning of poet Samiya巴希尔，作曲家 乔尔·汤普森, who together collaborated on the creation of “Dark Matters.” Dark Matters, a seven-minute work for choir and piano. 有层次的意义, the text and music of Dark Matters go straight to the core of a message we deeply need as we seek to make a better world.
Now — This is the world we made for ourselves and –
Now — This is the world we keep on making and –
Now — maybe it’s time to make something else –
——萨米亚·巴希尔
Program Notes from Samiya巴希尔, Poet
Something about not being alone –
关于伸出援手
关于 searching for connection.
There is stillness and a reaching for stillness.
There is a seeking of the self – for connection there too.
“Some days insist on small miracles.”
一些笔记. 一些歌曲. 坚持.
提醒. 回忆.
I often wonder about all of the social skills I lost during the many long months of lock-down which, 对我来说, was nearly a year of solitude. It was during that time – in the dark quiet of a silent house by the winter sea – that this piece congealed – through which these words reached out to 乔尔·汤普森 – around which, 对, 乔尔回答.
Maybe, I thought, we could dance.
Maybe, I thought, even dancing alone, we might still, one day, have the chance.
Might even – as I tried, as I practiced – remember how.
为什么.
Program Notes from 乔尔·汤普森 the Composer
Samiya巴希尔 has masterfully given voice to emotions that sit within the deepest recesses of our souls and, in order to serve her artistry honestly in conversation with my music, I had to really follow her journey into that emotional abyss. I found myself composing this piece in small doses - unable to stay within the piece for too long without spiritual fatigue. Luckily, Bashir's words also invited me to "search the night by lamplight for myself.这样做的时候, I also found a way out of the oppressive fog of anxiety and doubt, especially when equipped with her words of encouragement: "Some days, the smallest miracle is me.“音乐, the piece does rise out of doldrums to express the hope that "maybe we'll dance," but Dark Matters eventually ends as it begins as a reminder that entropy is real and that progress can only occur if we truly prioritize it and actually do the work to change.
Read an interview with the composer in the 资本 story: New 艺术istic Collaborative Centers the Work Needed for a Better World in “Dark Matters”