The NMSU Choirs will celebrate the earth in their opening concert on Friday evening, presenting what conductor Stephanie Lynn Reyes calls an “immersive” experience that will evoke sounds and sites of earth, such as water, other aspects of nature, and outer space. Entitled “Earthsong,” the concert features composers from diverse backgrounds, including from Ojibwe, Haitian-American, Norwegian, and other countries and traditions.
“As a conductor, one of my biggest passions is putting together programs where you get to just be immersed into these various sound worlds that the human voice can achieve,” Reyes said in this interview with Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin. In addition to the music, there will be visuals to enhance the experience. Reyes, who is also a visual artist, has created a large 7-1/2-foot circular stage prop to simulate earth, which will project landscapes and other images that the music evokes.
NMSU’s University Choir and Concert Choir will perform singly and together. Pianist Heriberto Ramirez and percussionist Tony Paul will perform with the choirs on some songs, and there will be solos by Grace Garcia, Joshua Prichard, Carmen Herrera, Gea Manyseng-Gutierrez and Olivia Chavez.
Listen to the entire interview to learn more about the choirs, Reyes’ own background, and some of the composers, including Meredith Monk, Ola Gjeilo, Sydney Guillaume, and Jake Runestad.
The concert is Friday, October 18, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. at the Atkinson Recital Hall on the NMSU campus.
Musical clips heard in the interview represent some of the composers, but are not the songs that will be featured in the concert:
1.) “Little Breath,” by Meredith Monk, performed by Theo Bleckmann, Meredith Monk, Katie Geissinger, Allison Sniffin, and others (ECM 2026, cd entitled “Impermanence”);
2.) “Sanctus,” by Ola Gjeilo, performed by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, Stephen Layton conducting (Hyperion 67832, cd entitled “Beyond All Mortal Dreams”);
3.) “Dominus Vobiscum,” by Sydney Guillaume, performed by the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Joshua Habermann conducting (Avie 2377, cd entitled “The Road Home”);
4.) “Reflections,” by Jake Runestad, same cd as above.