Amendments

Looking back to move forward

I was walking down the hall at my place of work the other day, and it struck me (not for the first time) the absolute bliss I feel being alone in a room with a piano, a computer, and hours ahead of me to compose. Everything else — tiredness, hunger, daily concerns, even time itself — seems to disappear in the act of turning aural imaginings into notes on paper. 

As much as I love the process itself, I also feel incredibly grateful for the way being a composer has provided an introduction to new realms of discovery — from geological history to land use, cultural history to literature, every new piece creates an opening into a new landscape of knowledge and human endeavor. 

On Sunday, March 17th, I’m excited to share the culmination of another one of these deep dives when Portland’s Resonance Ensemble presents the world premiere of my composition From The Book of Sankofa, Pt.1: Words She Would Have Us Know. 

Written for choir, piano, and cello and featuring the amazing Nancy Ives, principal cellist of the Oregon Symphony, and writer A. Mimi Sei, the performance is part of a concert called “Amendment: Righting our Wrongs” that also features works by Joel Thompson, Rosephayne Powell, and Melissa Dunphy. The theme of the concert is looking to the past to change the future. 

In addition to working with a great writer and a world-class vocal ensemble, this piece gave me a chance to reflect on themes in my own work in which I have examined the past. My chamber opera Sanctuaries, which dealt with the legacy of gentrification and displacement of Black communities; The Territory, which responded to the geography and cultural history of Oregon; and Come Sunday, my soundwalk which explored the legacy of Portland’s Black churches. These ideas of understanding the past to change the future are also present in this new work. 

In my research, I discovered that Sankofa is a Twi word from the Akan tribe in Ghana that literally means to “Go back and get it.” It is often represented by the symbol of a bird with its head turned backward, carrying an egg in its mouth. Sankofa represents the idea of looking back at our past to learn from it and move forward. Both the symbol and concept were widely used during the transatlantic slave trade as a way for enslaved Africans to connect with their heritage and culture. The idea of Sankofa also has a strong connection to social justice, as it encourages us to remember the struggles and triumphs of our ancestors and to use that knowledge in our pursuit of a better future.

In our early discussions about the piece, Mimi spoke of the tension between acknowledging the effects of historical trauma and oppression and the desire to reframe our narratives in order to Illuminate the treasures obscured by the pain of the past. We talked about the idea of freedom of spirit that isn’t weighed down by the need to address past burdens but rather highlights the liberatory potential of BIPOC ways of seeing and being, cultural knowledge, and the rich diversity of Black experiences. 

Musically too, this piece provided an opportunity for me to grow as a composer.  When hearing that I was writing a choral piece, people asked, “Is it jazz?”  My answer is that, while it is informed by jazz harmonic and rhythmic language, my goal is a personal synthesis that draws on the many influences that have shaped my music-making, which is something I feel I’ve been working toward with increasing confidence over the past several years. For this piece, those things include the polyphony of Renaissance vocal composer Thomas Tallis, the soulfulness of the Staple Singers, the harmonic sophistication of Herbie Hancock, the atmospheric ambiance of Maurice Ravel, and the vocal freedom of Bobby McFerrin (to name a few.) 

I also loved the challenge of creating a narrative arc within a single movement work and the chance to celebrate what I believe is the transcendent magic of choral singing — the coming together of multiple voices into a powerfully unified whole — while still leaving room for the individuality of expression embodied in jazz and gospel music.

I’m grateful to Resonance Ensemble for this opportunity and looking forward to hearing how all this comes together in the upcoming performance.  And then using what I learn to bring this piece forward into the future as well.

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Thanks to Oregon ArtsWatch for previewing the concert and to All Classical for hosting Mimi and me on air. Our segment begins about 30 minutes into the recording (available online for only a few more days).

Finally, Portlanders can catch the premiere of From the Book of Sankofa on Sunday, March 17th. Tickets and information are here.