Articulated Objects

for mezzo-soprano, violin, viola, cello, electric guitar, piano, vibraphone; ~20min
written for Contemporaneous with poetry by Bailey Cohen-Vera (2020-21)

Articulated Objects is a fragmented setting of poetry by writer and jiujitsero Bailey Cohen-Vera, and partially inspired by the artwork from MoMA's Sur Moderno exhibit (2019-20) which featured abstract art made from everyday materials by 20th century South American artists. It is the second piece of an "Objects trilogy," following my 2020 string quartet Neutral Objects, which focused on the policitization of quotidian items (like hats, face masks, and mailboxes) in periods of unrest. Articulated Objects meditates on themes of anti-US immigration policy, youthfulness, and complacency in a highly complicated period of American and global history.

Recording: Elisa Sutherland (voice), Finnegan Shanahan (violin), Sarah Haines (viola), Amanda Gookin (cello), Colin Davin (electric guitar), Paul Kerekes (piano), Amy Garapic (vibraphone), David Bloom (conductor)

*Recorded by René Pierre Allain at Scholes Street Studio

World premiere 7/21/2021 @ Pier 64 (NYC)