LISTEN! is not only the title of this concert—it is an invitation and an insistence. We are charged to listen to this rich collection of songs with more than ears: to listen with empathy, memory, and presence. A diverse group of composers and poets is united by a central idea: song as a conduit for the unspeakable, the personal, the painful, and the transcendent. Here, to listen is not passive reception, but an active moral and emotional task. In this program, Mirror Visions Ensemble premieres their latest commission, Randall Eng’s Song with poetry by Brigit Pegeen Kelly. The program also includes two “mirror visions” (the same text set by different composers): Elizabeth Bishop’s evocative poem “I Am in Need of Music” in settings by Lori Laitman, Ben Moore, and Tobias Picker, as well as Siegfried Sassoon’s exultant “Everyone Sang” in settings by Paul Moravec and Deborah Pritchard.

Daniel McGrew, tenor
Scott Murphree, tenor
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Mischa Bouvier, baritone
Margaret Kampmeier, piano

RANDALL ENG – Song (world premiere)
DEBORAH PRITCHARD – Everyone Sang (U.S. premiere)
KAMALA SANKARAM – Listen
LORI LAITMAN – I Am in Need of Music
DAVID SISCO – Bird Song
JAKE HEGGIE – In Praise of Songs That Die
BEN MOORE – I Am in Need of Music
JODI GOBLE – My Song Is Sung
PAUL MORAVEC – Everyone Sang
TOBIAS PICKER – I Am in Need of Music
RICKY IAN GORDON – Demand