Silent Voices tackles systemic injustice in soaring soprano-alto harmony, entrusting the vital issues of our day to its most astonishing young singers. This powerful multimedia concert features music by Toshi Reagon, Nico Muhly, DJ Spooky, Caroline Shaw, and others, and texts by Hilton Als, Claudia Rankine, and Pauli Murray. Context is everything, so get closer to the production through our series of curated links, videos, and articles. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #BYCSilentVoices.
Program Notes
Article
Silent Voices Ring Out (BAM blog)
Writer Robert Jackson Wood surveys the lineup, and the ethos, of Silent Voices: “Luckily...tolerance is on the side of youth.”
Article
Silent Voices—Composers' Notes (BAM blog)
Notes by the composers, including some lyric excerpts.
Article
The prodigious young composer has covered a lot of ground, collaborating with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Kanye West, and Richard Reed Parry. Oh, and she’s also the youngest musician ever to win a Pulitzer.
Article
The 'Black, Queer, Feminist' Legal Trailblazer You've Never Heard Of (NPR)
Pauli Murray was arrested for refusing to move to the back of a bus 15 years before Rosa Parks, was a co-founder of the National Organization for Women, and was the first black woman to be ordained in the Protestant Episcopal Church, yet she remains largely unknown today. Composer Jeff Beale uses her words in his new song series.
Article
Claudia Rankine: why I'm spending $625,000 to study whiteness(The Guardian)
Claudia Rankine on whiteness, difference, police brutality, and the “racial imaginary” that animates much of her current work.
Article
5 Questions to Mary Kouyoumdjian (I CARE IF YOU LISTEN)
The Armenian-American composer speaks about the centennial observance of the Armenian Genocide, working with Kronos Quartet, and the power of art to broach “difficult” topics.
Watch & ListenSilent Voices host Helga Davis interviews “intellectual omnivore” Hilton Als.
Video
The Composer Files: Toshi Reagon (YouTube)
Composer Toshi Reagon in rehearsal with the phenomenal young singers of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Audio
App Download: Shara Nova's 'Blind to the Illness' (WQXR)
BYC performing Shara Nova’s “Blind to the Illness.”
Now your turn...
Video
The Composer Files: Toshi Reagon (YouTube)
Composer Toshi Reagon in rehearsal with the phenomenal young singers of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Audio
App Download: Shara Nova's 'Blind to the Illness' (WQXR)
BYC performing Shara Nova’s “Blind to the Illness.”
Now your turn...
How did you enjoy the show? Likes? Dislikes? Surprises? Tell us what's on your mind in the comments below and on social media using #BYCSilentVoices.