Origin Artists to Enrich Campus and Community

By John Shaffer

As the world premiere of Richard Einhorn’s The Origin draws near, community members can enjoy an unprecedented gathering of creative artists involved with the SUNY Oswego production. Among those joining the composer during a week of pre-concert rehearsals will be filmmaker Bill Morrison and the Eastern European vocal ensemble Kitka. During breaks in the intensive preparations, each will engage in special programs designed to share their work with the wider community.

“Talented people from around the country are coming to Oswego to make this event happen,” says ARTSwego Coordinator Mary Avrakotos. “We’ve built in as many opportunities as possible for students and residents to share the wealth of creativity.”

Commissioned by the college for the Charles Darwin Bicentennial, The Origin celebrates the thought and struggles of one of the most celebrated and still controversial figures in modern science. As he developed the musical score, composer Einhorn immersed himself in Darwin’s published works, private notebooks and letters. There, he discovered a highly original thinker who never regarded his studies as a solemn activity.

“Darwin took sheer delight in making sense of the world,” says Einhorn. “On the way to changing the way we view our world, he often stopped to ponder whether worms can hear music or an oyster dreams of the future.” Einhorn believes his new work captures that element of delight in the process of investigation and discovery.

During his time in Oswego, the composer plans to visit high school biology classes to talk about the challenge of translating Darwin’s insights and wide-ranging ruminations into music. He will also offer a personal introduction before each performance of The Origin.

Einhorn chose filmmaker Bill Morrison to create special visual imagery for the Oswego premiere. Best known for his critically acclaimed Decasia, Morrison has participated in many collaborative music projects at venues that include Carnegie Hall and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. For The Origin, he has produced five subtle films that highlight places and life forms mentioned in Darwin’s journals. Morrison will discuss his work at a public presentation entitled “Video and the Creative Process” in the Campus Center Auditorium (Room 118) on Thursday, February 6th at 4:00 p.m. He will also interact with students in the college’s Introduction to Film Studies class.

Kitka, the women’s vocal ensemble featured on the popular PBS special Kitka and Davka in Concert, normally specializes in the rich vocal traditions of Eastern Europe. The haunting sound created by the nine singers of Kitka will be used in the Oswego performances to distinguish the personal voice of Charles Darwin from other layers of the text. “There’s an extraordinary part in Richard’s score in which Darwin writes to his wife Emma on the death of their young daughter Annie,” says Origin musical director Julie Pretzat. “Kitka’s poignant expression of his grief tugs at the heart strings.”

The “open voiced” sound and dissonant intervals of Bulgarian and other Balkan folk music are difficult for Western-trained singers to imitate. During their stay, the members of Kitka will share the songs and techniques of their tradition with high school choristers in Oswego and Mexico. Others may take part in an open workshop to be held in Waterman Theater at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3rd. Singers may register by calling ARTSwego at 312-4581.

The world premiere performances of Richard Einhorn’s The Orgin will be presented on February 6th and 7th at 7:30 p.m. in Waterman Theater. Tickets are available through the Tyler Hall box office at 312-2141 or online at tickets.oswego.edu.

Major support for the commissioning and presentation of The Origin has been provided by The National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Music Fund, and Meet the Composer. In-school residency activities by Kitka are made possible by Entergy.