TWO GRANDFATHERS (2017) - for mezzo-soprano, violin, acoustic guitar, harp, and piano
Premiere: Da Camera @ the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 7th, 2017
Duration: ca. 9 min
Program Note:
Commissioned by the Da Camera Young Artist Program in conjunction with the Houston Museum of Fine Arts Adios Utopia Exhibition.
The text for Two Grandfathers is by Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista (1902-1989), a famous Cuban poet. The work portrays the poet's mixed race heritage, typical of Caribbean culture and the Adios Utopia exhibition. The narrator wrestles with the legacy of his conquering white grandfather and the suppressed slave culture of his Black grandfather, and how the two combine in the history of mestizo Cuba. The work combines textural elements from Cuban culture, including the guitar, with evocative text painting.