in nature – a world premiere from David Lang
The Crossing
w/ Roots in the Sky
presented by
Warren Miller Performing Arts Center
Big Sky, Montana
a hybrid performance of live and recorded music,
written for the occasion in the time of the pandemic
produced by John Zirkle and Donald Nally
Livestream broadcast Saturday, August 1 @ 8p EDT / 6p MDT
Live from Big Sky, Montana
program
in nature (world premiere) – David Lang
in nature is dedicated to the memory of Virginia Hitt
when I am in nature…
Our sixth summer residency in the mountains of Montana, with an innovative approach to ensemble singing in the time of COVID-19. David Lang’s in nature was commissioned by The Crossing and WMPAC as a new work specifically designed for a time when we must sing at a distance from one another. That time is here, and that distance is 2100 miles - from Philadelphia to Big Sky. This world premiere of in nature is a hybrid of live and pre-filmed music, all performed safely within recommended guidelines for singing. Singers of The Crossing were filmed and recorded one-at-a-time at the Icebox Project Space at CraneArts in Philadelphia; that film will be combined in real time with the live performances of four socially-distanced singers of Bozeman-based Roots in the Sky, singing from WMPAC in Big Sky, Montana.
david lang writes:
“My piece in nature began when my friend and frequent collaborator Donald Nally asked if I could imagine a piece that could be performed live, now, during this period when we are all separated from each other by the pandemic.
The question, of course, is how to make it possible for singers to sing together, when they can't be together, or breathe together, or interpret anything together. Add to this how far apart the singers would be — a few would be in Montana and the rest scattered across the East Coast.
My solution was to create different levels of coordination between groups of singers. Some are pre-recorded, responding to Donald's conducting prompts. Some are essentially floating freely above the others. An extra wrinkle was Donald's idea to have the piece filmed on site, in nature, by a river in Montana, at sunrise. It seemed ironic to me because many of us at this moment are very far away from nature. The distance between being there and not being there underlies everything I have tried to do in this piece.”
REVIEW: Opera News
“The members of The Crossing have been widely praised for their precision, clarity, and superbly blended quality—it is particularly remarkable that none of these qualities have been sacrificed one iota, even under these extenuating circumstances … At the end, after the singing stops, we can hear just the sound of the river for a short stretch—a welcome opportunity for contemplation. Lang’s in nature is likely to linger as a striking and urgent example of compelling artistic expression from the COVID-19 quarantine period.”
The Team for in nature
Warren Miller Performing Arts Center
John Zirkle, executive and artistic director
The Crossing
Katy Avery • Jessica Beebe • Karen Blanchard • Steven Bradshaw • Colin Dill • Micah Dingler • Joanna Gates • Michael Jones • Heidi Kurtz Maren Montalbano • Rebecca Myers • Becky Oehlers • James Reese • Daniel Schwartz • Becky Siler • Daniel Spratlan • Elisa Sutherland • Daniel Taylor
Donald Nally, conductor
John Grecia, keyboards
Kevin Vondrak, assistant conductor & artistic associate
Roots in the Sky
Andrew Major, artistic director
Isobel Anthony
Kayla Bojkovsky
Erin Henke
Ana Jarrett
Digital Mission Audio Services
Paul Vazquez
Four/Ten Media
Evan Chapman
Kevin Eikenberg
Jereco Studios
Luke Scheeler
Gallatin River Video
Micah Robin
WMPAC Staff
Danielle McClain, Operations Director Andrew Blessing, Streaming Director Ace Beattie, Associate Technologist Jesse Emby, Lighting Designer, Guiliana Olivo, Communications Associate Rikka Wommack, Communications Manager Logan Henke, Production Manager
Icebox Project Space at CraneArts
Tim Belknap
Ryan McCartney
Special Thanks:
Carol Westfall
Thomas Kasdorf
Charles Mueller
Steven Hyder
Becky Siler
Jonathan Bradley
Shannon McMahon
Andrew Major
Big Sky Resort Tax
Yellowstone Club Community Foundation 320 Ranch