Willamette University presents "Because I Will Not Despair"
Award-winning composer Jessica Meyer’s new work, "Because I Will Not Despair", set to poems by acclaimed Portland poet Alicia Jo Rabins, will be premiered by professional women’s vocal ensemble In Mulieribus and Portland Youth Philharmonic’s (PYP’s) Camerata PYP, the organization’s chamber orchestra, in May 2023. The first of three performances will take place on May 5 at Willamette University’s Hudson Hall; the other two will take place in Portland on May 12 at St. Philip Neri Church in Portland, and May 13 at Lewis & Clark College’s Evans Auditorium. "Because I Will Not Despair" was co-commissioned by PYP and IM, and is named after one of the poems set in the piece. This cross-continental and intergenerational experience is a love letter to women everywhere; through orchestral and vocal excellence, Camerata PYP and IM will take you on a musical journey of breaking, resisting, and ultimately achieving healing. Also on the program is the West Coast premiere of Kareem Roustom’s "Hurry to the light" – a musical setting of text from Homer’s “The Odyssey,” newly translated by MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Emily Wilson. In this translation of this epic tale, we see more than ever before the many examples of the power of women. Inspired by Wilson’s subtleties in language to “clear the misogynistic dust left by previous English translations” (Roustom), Roustom only gives voice to the women of the story, rather than our hero, Odysseus. This project is generously supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and Ronni Lacroute. The official media sponsor is All Classical Portland.
Date and Time
Friday May 5, 2023
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM PDT
May 5, 2023 at 7:30 PM PT
Location
Willamette University, Hudson Hall
Fees/Admission
General Admission - $10.00
Contact Information
Alice Fern; PYP Marketing Director; (503) 765-544; alice@portlandyouthphil.org
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