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Kaminsky & Friends at NYFOS Next
by Sherri Rase      |   follow us...

   
photo by Cherylynn Tsushima
Laura Kaminsky & Elaine Sexton
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If you felt a thrumming energy on June 11 around 7:30 p.m., with the epicenter at the Center on 13th Street, you were totally tapped into some very serious electricity. NYFOS (New York Festival of Song) Next returned triumphant, to the newly renovated performance space, on the third floor. for a New York Premiere and a World Premiere, with composer Laura Kaminsky, who organized a cavalcade of women whose creative energy wove two very memorable song cycles–both historic for their topics. Pairing them together in a single program, NYFOS Next: “Laura Kaminsky and Friends,” made for a perfect evening.
“How many of you know who Jeanette Rankin is?” queried Laura Kaminsky, as she introduced the first work. I knew her from her Viet Nam era peace activities, never realizing she was one of those who carried the suffragists’ torch to fruition. Born on a farm in Missoula, Montana, Rankin did house and ranch chores–there were no girls’ tasks and boys’ tasks when there is that volume of work to be done. “Fierce Grace: Jeanette Rankin,” written in 2017 and first performed at the Library of Congress, and having its New York premiere here, provides tantalizing highlights of Jeanette Rankin’s life, from her first congressional term in Congress in 1917 (“A Millinery Resolution”–composer Ellen Reid) – when her florid hat was deemed too distracting for her to wear it in session—through her second term in 1941 (“Just Listen for the Bellowing”–composer Kitty Brazelton)–when we find her trapped in a phone booth by the Fourth Estate, to 1968, when Rankin is leading a whole new crew of bluestockings who eschew stockings (“10,000 Go-Go Boots”–composer Laura Kaminsky), to the social-media-spiced Present Day–(“Think is to Thank”—composer Laura Karpman). Kimberly Reed is the librettist, who also hails from Montana, and she has given structure, to which each composer adds her grace notes. Reed speaks of the surrealist art and the exquisite corpse, where each artist incorporates a phrase of transition, but does not know what has gone before or what will come after. These women crafted a piece of exquisite beauty, with Mila Henry, at the piano, and the masterful Heather Johnson, as the gifted singer-actor who brings Rankin to full-blooded life. Each composer set her piece with particularity. Amongst my favorite was Kaminsky’s setting of the lyric “But today we spread the epidemic of peace,” written à la Debussy. And in Karpman’s “Present Day,” the glorious flourish in “like song comes from sing,” the history reading list, where the protagonist thinks on her activist forebears and finishes with Harriet Tubman’s “fierce grace,” the entire cycle is pure delight. This song cycle was commissioned in recognition that so few of the Library of Congress’ musical holdings are from women composers. Kaminsky and Reed increased that statistic exponentially. From a young woman, who is abundantly aware of the scrutiny of the old white men in Congress, through her gathering of power and triumph, Rankin said she wanted to be remembered as the woman who voted to give women the vote, before women could vote. And the phrase “leave a twig or two of laurel for someone else who must come after” continued to resonate long after the final musical note was sung.
There was a brief re-set of the stage, and we rolled our time machine to a distant era 50 years ago, and less, for the World Premiere of “After Stonewall,” newly composed for Stonewall 50 and World Pride. Kaminsky asked Elaine Sexton to write six new poems on the theme of Stonewall. Sexton’s brilliant poems, set with haunting certitude, by an all-star list of composers, had the room in the palm of the soloists’ hands. Pianists Michael Barrett and Serene Pianist played every part of the piano including augmented internal strings and, I believe, part of the sound board. Heather Johnson, mezzo-soprano, was joined by Devony Smith, soprano, and baritone Jorell Williams for this cycle. The program included the full text of Ms. Sexton’s poetry and each composer bends the words to her own will. Williams took the honors on “Burning Bar,” set by Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum, where there is a Latin-esque rhythm that reminds us “what fires dignity is pride.” Johnson took Kaminsky’s setting of “Marriage Equality” with its open, balladic beauty, where Edie (Windsor) and Thea (Spyer) took their love story public in a gift to the world. When Johnson sang the final “love,” it was as if she just invented the word to gift it to us all.
Smith stepped up for Kayla Cashetta’s setting of “Present, But Gone,” a sere and questing setting–where are our leaders, their voices, their songs? Heartfelt and true, these are our ancestors–how do we follow?
“Still Queer” is set anthem style by Karpman and Sexton’s words, taken from President Barack Obama’s second post-inaugural speech, brought strong emotions throughout the room. The clearing of throats and deep breaths were abundant and the mysterious music was resonant of “Twilight Zone” meets walking blues.
“Only After Stonewall,” set by Paula M. Kimper, featured Smith’s evocation of LGBTQ classic cultural icons–almost a Nicene creed that begins “I remember” rather than “I believe.” This is a gauzy cloud of codified memories and is a tale of two cultures, the best and the worst of times that reminds us we are still making our-story.
“Pride,” set by Jennifer Higdon, featured the trio of soloists in tight formation with harmonic piano, with words like “As long as I’m marching I’m not crushed,” as we listened to the work almost 30 years to the day after Tiananman Square protests. And there was a martial flourish in the piano under the words “As long as I’m marching I am seen.” In this celebration of World Pride, Sexton’s words, these composers’ music and the skill of the singers and musicians made us one community, united in love. Thank you NYFOS and Laura Kaminsky for an evening to remember.



 

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