The story behind Dwell Together
Last night was our first combined rehearsal for this weekend’s Dwell Together program with our chorus, orchestra, and our magnificent guest soloist Lucia Bradford. The energy was electrifying. We don’t have the luxury of producing more than a couple of concerts a year, so what we choose to present is chosen with purpose. Assembling a collection of pieces for a concert program is designing a musical journey that we will go on together. There is an additional layer of artistic interpretation and perspective in placing works in conversation (or in contrast) with each other.
I first came across Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed in the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd. We were all isolated at home, and the YouTube video of the original University of Michigan premiere was being shared quite a bit online. I was struck by the beauty, intensity and simple sincerity of Thompson’s work, and instantly knew that we needed to perform this piece in Pittsburgh. But context matters. What music could share space with this emotional work?
In movement 3, we hear the final words of Amadou Diallo: “Mom, I'm going to college." Thinking of that dream unrealized—and how the mother who received that voicemail still mourns him—led me to Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater. Like many composers throughout history, Thompson found inspiration in an old form: The Seven Last Words of Christ. Perry’s Stabat Mater also uses an ancient text, written from the perspective of Jesus’ mother at the foot of the cross. I could think of no more meaningful pairing.
The question then became: what is the rest of the message that we want to convey alongside these two heartbreaking and emotionally heavy works? My answer came in the music of Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. It’s a piece I have a long relationship with as a singer, student, and conductor. I vividly recall singing it many years ago with legendary conductor Robert Page, and remember how he rehearsed and shaped the final, exquisitely quiet phrase of the work, translated from Psalm 133: "How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."
What does “dwelling together in unity” mean for us today? Frankly, I don't think it’s too controversial to say that we aren’t doing it very well - as a society, a nation, and a global community. But shouldn’t it still be our goal? If music can help us build connection as human beings, then let it also motivate us to work toward this ideal - together.
The other bookend to our musical journey this weekend comes through the words of Langston Hughes, as set by composer Rosephanye Powell, invoking a call to action amidst “our problem world” and its challenges: “All you who are dreamers too, help me make the world anew.”
I hope all you who are dreamers will dwell together with us this Friday, March 7 in Oakland (come early for the special pre-concert conversation led by Dr. Zuly Inirio!) and Sunday, March 9 in Fox Chapel. Tickets and more information are available here. I can’t wait to share this special musical journey with you.
With Gratitude,
Maria Sensi Sellner
Aristic & General Director, Founder
PS. ⏰ This is the weekend that we change our clocks to Daylight Savings time! Please be sure to reset your clocks on Saturday night so that you don’t miss a moment of Sunday’s performance!
