New Chamber Music
“Justice, Equality, Freedom” Series of New Works
CityMusic’s 2021-22 concert season began with a big idea: to commission 12 new chamber works on the theme “Justice, Equality, Freedom,” and to interview each composer about their process.
The composers produced an extraordinary range of pieces, each approaching the theme from a different angle. Some came up with musical representations for these abstract ideas, while others turned to their personal heritage and family stories for inspiration.
Each a worthy addition to the chamber repertoire, when taken together these works offer a unique look at the compositional process. Below, explore this exciting collection of pieces, listen to the composer interviews, and view the world premiere recordings.
Elena Ruehr
How do you turn abstract ideas like “justice” and “equality” into music? This question was composer Elena Ruehr’s starting point for Equality, Justice, Freedom (or lack thereof…). Her solution: explore the emotions these ideas evoke.
Kotoka Suzuki
Through a combination of nostalgic Japanese folksongs, recorded sounds from nature, and synthetic mixed media electronics, Suzuki explores the sense of peace we experience when sounds resonate with our core sense of home.
Jasmine Barnes
A song cycle setting the poetry of East Cleveland native King Weatherspoon, Might Call You Art is an exploration of the experience of blackness in America, at times poignant and lyrical, at times sarcastic and even scathing.
Daixuan Ai
Music has long been used to comment on humanity’s quest for equality, so Daixuan Ai looked to a historical model for inspiration — Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which portrays a struggle that climaxes in the triumph of the democratic ideals of freedom and equality.
Jessica Meyer
“Welcome to the Broken Hearts Club” is a celebration of universality — of how the human experience of love described by a young Black poet from East Cleveland can resonate with a composer of vastly different age and background.
Jungyoon Wie
Celebrating her heritage, Songs of My Grandmother is a musical commemoration of Wie’s grandmother’s life story, from her childhood on her family farm in North Korea through her perilous journey south to finding Christianity.
Michi Wiancko
When composing for a Baroque ensemble of strings and harpsichord, Michi Wiancko asked herself the question, “how do we express the core of who we are today through instruments that were made centuries ago?”
Margaret Brouwer
Justice March depicts people coming together from across the globe to march for equality, each bringing a tale to tell, the musicians literally coming together from offstage, meshing their themes as they go.
Dawn Avery
Peace explores four different aspects of peace based on spiritual principles, using the word “peace” spoken in 20 languages, atmospheric instrumental techniques, and lyrical melodies to transport the listener to a state of peace.