presents

Here Be Sirens Kate Soper

This performance is underwritten by the Friends of the Deines Cultural Center.

Deines Cultural Center · Sunday, July 15, 2018 · 2:00 pm PROGRAM

Here Be Sirens Kate Soper b. 1981 Peitho Aani Bourassa Phaino Janie Brokenicky Polyxo Jorie Moss Music Director Patrick Murray Stage Director Sasha Hildebrand

Prologue 1. The Myth of Er Plato 2. Concerning the Siren Bishop Theobald 3. Song

Scene 1: Sirens Break Rank 4. Sirenbraid Homer (trans. Soper) and Carl Jung 5. Naufragium Erasmus

Scene 2: Polyxo Explains It All 6. Troubador Song de Vacqueiras and Tibullus 7. Phonebook Aria 8. Naufragium Erasmus

Scene 3: Origin Speculation 1 9. Witch-Wife Edna St. Vincent Millay 10. Naufragium Erasmus

Scene 4: The Abduction of Persephone 11. The Abduction of Persephone 12. Hymn to Neptune Thomas Campion 13. Naufragium Erasmus

Scene 5: Origin Speculation 2 14. Muses Entr’acte 15. Siren Nomenclature 16. O Sailor 17. Naufragium Erasmus

2 · Scene 6: The Contest of the Muses and the Sirens 18. The Muses Elyzium Michael Drayton 19. Pythagorus 1 Iamblicus 20. Across the Turbid Waves Dante (trans. Soper) 21. In a Silent Valley John Milton 22. Pythagorus 2 Iamblicus 23. Naufragium Erasmus

Scene 7: Peitho Rising 24. Sappho Fragments Sappho (trans. Anne Carson) 25. Here to Me from Krete Sappho (trans. Anne Carson) 26. Naufragium Erasmus

Scene 8: Siren Evolution 27. Song to Odysseus Homer

NOTES

Kate Soper’s “music theatre in one act” Here Be Sirens premiered in New York in January 2014. A critical success for the composer, who also sang in the premiere, it presents as its protagonists the familiarly antagonistic sirens of Greek mythology, the dangerous “birdwomen” whose dulcet tones lured many an errant sailor to his doom. Yet these creatures are not simplistic ravenous monsters. Much as the ambiguous phrase “here be sirens” meant unknown dangers on ancient maps, Soper sails us into the uncharted psyches of these characters as we watch them play out their lives on their lonely island. A major fascination for Soper in this project has been the malleability of myth—the glorious capacity of its meaning to change across time between various tellings and retellings, old interpretations and reinterpretations. The epigraphs chosen for the score, quotations from philosopher Michel Foucault and Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot, reflect the paradoxes and delights of fixed unfixedness. Meaning, Foucault would have us understand, is “free for the dream.” For Soper’s sirens, this freedom means a constant flux in their origins, their number, their names, the nature of their existence, but not necessarily their role as villains. One contrasts this with their

· 3 mythological opposites—the nine Muses, whose names and identities have maintained a greater constancy and positive connotation. In one story, the Muses defeated the sirens in a contest of song judged by the gods, and they become offstage antagonists in Here Be Sirens as well. For all the emphasis in siren myths on their dangerous powers of seduction, this danger is predicated on one element above all: the power of the voice and, with it, the power of the singer. Here Be Sirens draws out this quality and is in many ways a meditation upon singing itself—as an art, as (a) craft, as philosophy, as an extension of the body, as a weapon, as a tool. Soper’s sirens utilize a wealth of vocal techniques throughout the piece, including spoken dialogue. To this mixture, she adds the power—and demand—of non-vocal instruments, principally the piano, which is used in every sense as a percussive instrument.

Along with Soper’s own words, the libretto draws from ancient authors like Homer and Sappho, various texts of the Renaissance, writings of psychoanalysists, philologists, and philosophers, even the poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Soper collages all this material into a narrative that operates on multiple levels. The three sirens, all sopranos, are effectively collages themselves. Peitho, a “Pre-Raphaelite, early Romantic-era-type siren,” embodies a stylized innocence and relishes the ritual of luring sailors to their doom. These qualities place her as an antipode to Phaino who, as the archetype of “the deadly birdwoman,” appears trapped within her mythic identity, repeating ritual as rote. Triangulating these two is Polyxo, entirely self-conscious of her deeds and yearning to escape their island. This world too abjures any notion of fixity. As Soper’s stage directions state, the time is “the past and the future,” the place is “the prearchaic Greek past and the postapocalyptic U.S. future.” During the prologue, the sirens conjure themselves within this world, a world bound to the endless routine of waiting for ships and sailors to pass. The following eight scenes correspond to a ship passing the island. The first scene introduces two major musical ideas that thread through the whole work: the “Waiting Theme,” a series of three musical “gestures” on the piano which accompany spoken dialogue, and the “Naufragium,” a setting of Erasmus that depicts the terrifying chaos when the drowned sailors reach the sirens’ shore. In the second scene, as Peitho sings the “Troubadour Song,” Polyxo explains the sirens’ imprisoning routine and the source of their power—their voices. The

4 · next four scenes present variations (and heated debates) on their origins, including the play-within-a-play about the abduction of the goddess Persephone, the incident which gave the sirens their wings. These histories culminate in a retelling of the sirens defeat at the hands, or more properly voices, of the nine Muses, which literally strips them of their ability to fly. The seventh scene brings Peitho’s anxieties forward, anxieties which spread to Polyxo who beseeches the doomed approaching ship to take her away. This crisis heralds the long- anticipated approach of Odysseus, the ultimate test of the sirens' power. —Ryan M. Prendergast

BIOGRAPHIES

American soprano Aani Bourassa is a versatile actress of emotional depth, praised for her “brilliant, yet sparkling high notes” (Burlington Hawk Eye). In addition to her artist in residency at Ad Astra, noteworthy engagements include Larina (Eugene Onegin) and Second Lady (Die Zauberflöte) with Bel Cantanti Opera; solo recitals featuring the works of Bach, Purcell, and Barbara Strozzi; Passion and Resurrection (Ešenvalds) as part of the Latvian Embassy’s celebration of Latvia’s centennial; a world premiere of The Night Psalms by composer Griffin Candey and Dona Nobis Pacem (Vaughan Williams) with the Marquette Choral Society, as well as other oratorio, choral, and concert work. In addition to performing, Ms. Bourassa works as a producer for Acis Productions, a classical recording label, and sings with the Songs by Heart Foundation, whose mission is to enhance the quality of life for those suffering with age- related memory issues through music therapy.

Janie Brokenicky, soprano, teaches applied voice and music theory at Kansas State University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Curriculum and

· 5 Instruction. She is co-founder of the Flint Hills Children’s Choirs, based out of Manhattan, Kansas. The choirs have performed at the KMEA State Convention, collaborated with the KC ballet, and in December will perform with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and soloist Chris Mann. As a soloist, Janie has been featured at the Kauffman Center (Kansas City), the Meyerson Symphony Hall (Dallas), and the Folly Theater (Kansas City). Additionally, she has been a guest artist for the Wichita Chamber Chorale, Hays Symphony Orchestra, Flint Hills Masterworks Chorale, and served three summers as artist in residence for the Ad Astra Music Festival. Last spring, she took on the infamous role of The Queen of the Night in the KSU production of Mozart's The Magic Flute. In addition to vocal music, Janie also holds a degree in mathematics (hence her love for music theory) and is an accomplished oboist.

Soprano Jorie Moss is a versatile performer of opera and musical theater. As an emerging artist with Seagle Music Colony, she appeared in the roles of Margaret Johnson (The Light in the Piazza), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), and Giannetta (L’Elisir d’Amore). Other noteworthy roles include Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), the title role of Iolanta, Mademoiselle Silberklang (Der Schauspieldirektor), Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), La Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi), and Le Feu, La Princesse, and Le Rossignol (L’Enfant et les sortilèges). Recent recital engagements have included selections from Bach, Hahn, Schubert, Sibelius, Libby Larsen, and Aaron Jay Kernis. Also active in the professional chorus world, Jorie is currently a member of the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir. She received additional training with The CoOPERAtive Program, SongFest, and Lied Austria International. Currently based in Philadelphia, she holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and DePauw University.

Canadian conductor and composer Patrick Murray directs the University of Illinois University Chorus, and is a visiting artist with Illinois Summer Youth Music and the Ad Astra Music Festival in Russell, Kansas. A passionate advocate for new music, Patrick previously served as Music Director of FAWN Chamber Creative (Toronto), where during

6 · his tenure he premiered two new chamber operas by emerging Canadian composers, as well as numerous interdisciplinary new music and media works. As a conductor, Patrick has collaborated with the Illinois Modern Ensemble, Yale Voxtet, Yale Camerata, Thin Edge New Music Collective, Toy Piano Composers, and the University of Toronto New Music Festival. Equally at home in contemporary and historical performance, Patrick has performed as a chorister with the Yale Schola Cantorum under the direction of noted Baroque specialists David Hill, Masaaki Suzuki, and Simon Carrington, and with the Illinois Bach Festival under Andrew Megill. An award-winning composer, Murray’s choral and chamber compositions are regularly commissioned and performed by ensembles across Canada and the United States.

Sasha Hildebrand is honored to be working with the Ad Astra Music Festival for the first time this summer and with her good friend and festival director Alex Underwood. She is a native of Stafford, Kansas, and is currently working as the Assistant Professor of Theatre and Artistic Director for Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas. Sasha holds a BA in Theatre and Communications from Sterling College, a post- graduate degree in acting from The Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts in Liverpool, England, and an MFA in theatre from the University of Iowa. Sasha's first love is performance, and she has worked academically and professionally across the country and in Great Britain, specializing in musical and classical theatre performance with such companies as Drury Lane in Chicago, the Chicago Academy for the Arts, the Texas Shakespeare Festival, the National Youth Theatre of Britain, and the Springer Opera House Theatre Academy of Georgia. Directing is equally important to Sasha, with some of her favorite past projects being Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, and The Taming of the Shrew. Sasha’s other passion is costume design, with over 50 shows completed, including some of her favorites A Little Night Music, Macbeth, and The Boyfriend. Sasha is extremely excited to be working and collaborating on such challenging and creative projects with a set of immensely talented people, and she hopes the audiences will walk away truly inspired by the music and the visual storytelling.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Concert Underwriters Dustin Daugherty Anonymous Dennis & Lori Davidson William Farmer & Stewart Rahtz Amy & Michael Davidson Friends of the Deines Cultural Center Michelle Davis Brittany & David Fritsch Deines Cultural Center Nancy Holland Roger Dennis Line Family Espresso Etc. Frank & Linda Schulte Jaci & Jim Feil Fort Hays State University Musician Sponsors David Friday Jim & Melinda Cross Marjoanne Frost Dennis & Lori Davidson Good Karma Micro-Dairy Dianne & John Farmer Dannie'll Heaton Angela & Warren Gfeller Katy & Marc Hertel Melinda Merrill Bill Hickert Gloria Homeier Patrons Shelley Johnson Anonymous Kaylee Karst Diane & Mike Bender Klema's Grace & Robert Blehm Ezekiel Koech City of Russell KRSL/KCAY Anna & Richard Cross Nancy Lane Dane G. Hansen Foundation GJ & Jeannine Long Larry & Sandy Daugherty Mary & Victor Lyczak Jerry & Patty Driscoll Johnny & Shari Matlock Brian Dumler Jessica McGuire Catherine Holland Angie Muller Barbara & Morris Krug Nex-Tech Wireless David & Lorraine McClain Office Products, Inc. Allan McCobb Jean Parker Michael & Tonya Murphy Bob & Nancy Piatt Becky Polcyn Pröst Wine & Spirits Raeleen & Steve Reinhardt Jim & Megan Reeves Russell County Area Community Foundation Dave & Pam Reisig Russell County Economic Development & CVB Heather Reisig Russell Music Club Doug & Erin Renard Russell Rotary Club Russell Arts Council Lyla & Robert Schmitt Russell Recreation Commission Gary & Mary Ann Shorman Curtis Sander Chris & Rachel Sipe Father John Schmeidler Alan Templeton Dale & Nancy Schmitt Russ Townsley Lyla & Robert Schmitt UMB Bank Susan Shank Fred & Joan Weigel Chris & Rachel Sipe Cecil Witt St. John Lutheran Church St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church Acknowledgements Shannon Trevethan Colleen & Mick Allen Trinity United Methodist Church Anonymous Kendra Trueblood Cindy & Jim Balthazor Lowell Pat Underwood Marceline Bender USD 407 Connie & Mike Blanke Andrea & Don Varner Bottlenecks Brad & Theresa Wagner Derril & Marvel Castor Anthony Witt Andrea Cross & Justin Krug Daron & Katrina Woelk

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