‘a bold new evening-length musical collaboration, recording, & tour’
Two-time GRAMMY-winning vocalist HILA PLITMANN and GRAMMY-winning string quartet ETHEL— all extraordinary artists widely known for their adventurous spirit, virtuosic range, and extended stylistic and technical abilities — commission some of today’s most exciting composers and songwriters from a variety of genres for striking, unexpected song transformations. Taking listeners on an ambitious boundary-smashing excursion through classical, rock, pop, jazz, Native American, Middle Eastern and other styles; with at least seven languages including English, Spanish, Tutelo and Saponi (extinct Sioux nation languages), Persian, Chinese (Yunnan Province dialects), and Hebrew; these distinct forces meld to create a kaleidoscopic evening of songs.
Mirroring the old songbook and art song traditions while turning them on their head, existing songs are sourced for their relevance to the human experience. The project is a reflection on how melodic writing contains multitudes of potential meanings, to be revealed by the transformative power of arrangement. Each composer sheds new light on a personally significant song, which finds additional nuance and reinvention by Plitmann and ETHEL, and is woven together and amplified in the live performance with stunning visuals by artist and director DOUG FITCH. The end result tells a story of diversity and cultural connection through music, and creates a fresh look at the extraordinary patchwork of contemporary life.
