(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)
Helga Davis, seated
PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES, October 30, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- FringeArts is proud to announce We Have Gone As Far As We Can Together, a ritual opera created in collaboration with acclaimed multidisciplinary artist and WNYC podcast host Helga Davis and award-winning director Charlotte Brathwaite, and dramaturg Sunder Ganglani, will premiere at FringeArts, a world-class venue for contemporary arts in Philadelphia, from November 1st through 9th, offering a transcendent, one-of-a-kind experience for audiences. The production is funded in part by a grant from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
We Have Gone As Far As We Can Together is an exploration of the tender process of letting go as an act of generosity. This immersive work provides an intimate look at how we navigate connection and separation, particularly in a world that often demands our resilience even in the face of great change and transition.
Inspired by the legacies of avant-garde musical pioneers Alice Coltrane and Sun Ra, the ritual opera is deeply rooted in traditions that emphasize the call-and-response of Vedic kirtan, Sufi Kurel and Black-American musical traditions.
The piece invites the performers and audience to engage in a shared space of creation, reflection, and emotional release, drawing from practices established by visionary composers Butch Morris and Pauline Oliveros. It is a reclamation of opera as informed by the lived experiences of artists and composers of color.
“We Have Gone As Far As We Can Together was created in real-time, and shaped by the unique talents and interpretations of each performer,” said Helga Davis.“Employing Butch Morris's "Conduction" language, performers are tasked with composing in real time. The resulting elements work as "memories" and are accessed throughout the work, reflecting the fluidity and unpredictability of our own journeys through connection and closure.”
Under the direction of Charlotte Brathwaite and Dramaturgy of Sunder Ganglani, visual art from Cauleen Smith, and with lighting by Kent Barrett, the ritual opera unfolds as a multi-sensory experience, blending sound, movement, and visual elements that invites contemplation and transformation for the audience.
Brathwaite said:“Directing We Have Gone As Far As We Can Together has been an exploration of the human experience.” She continued,“Through this work, we invite audiences to experience music and performance as a living, breathing process-one that continually evolves and changes just like us. It's about finding beauty and meaning in the act of letting go, and celebrating that shared journey in community with one another.”
The opera also features a chorus of eight voices representing some of Philadelphia's most prominent musical institutions, including The Crossing, Singing City, Opera Philadelphia and Philadelphia Heritage Chorale, among others. The vocalists are as follows: Geovanni Diaz, Veonous Jacques, Malcolm Richardson, Shakira Jackson, Katy Avery, Ben Perri, Brandi McLeod and Deanda Wilson.
Davis and vocalists will be accompanied by the following critically-acclaimed, world-class musicians: Tarus Mateen, creative genius and mastery of acoustic bass, electric bass, rhythm guitar, and piano make him one of the most sought-after musician/producers in hip-hop, house, blues, rock, reggae, soul, and straight ahead jazz, who has worked with The Roots, Terence Blanchard, Common Betty Carter, Milt Jackson, Kenny Burrell, OutKast and more; Anais Maviel, a composer, artist, vocalist & multi-instrumentalist, dedicated to translating spiritual concepts to sensory experiences, using sound as medicine & alchemy; Jade Hicks, Grammy-award winning jazz musician who has worked with Meshelle Ndgocello; and Alexis Marcielo, pianist who creates a soulful New York City sound, and instinctively delivers a sound representative of a wide range of influences. He's performed and recorded with his mentor, multi-instrumentalist composer Yusuf Lateef.
Tickets for We Have Gone As Far As We Can Together are available now through the FringeArts box office. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit FringeArts or contact 215-413-1318.
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About FringeArts
FringeArts is Philadelphia's home for contemporary performance, presenting progressive, world-class art that stretches the imagination and boldly defies expectation. As the city's lead experimenter in the arts, FringeArts exposes audiences to unpredictable dance, theater and music performances by accomplished and emerging innovators who are pushing the boundaries of art-making and redefining the artistic landscape worldwide. Each September, the organization presents the annual Fringe Festival, a month long celebration that fills the Philadelphia's neighborhoods with more than 1,000 curated and independently produced contemporary performances.
Meaghan F. Washington
Francis Goodwin PR
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