Riots and Prayers for Orchestra

Performance Note:

Riots and Prayers is a work for large orchestra and an array of 'Speakers'.

Speakers can speak in any language and be drawn from the local community; amateur or professional musicians; dancers, sign language artists, or any movement artists; painters or visual artists; pre-recorded video moments or live, on-line talking heads; members of the orchestra who would like to speak and/or play a short solo on their instrument; members of the Board or administrative staff; solo, small groups, singers, vocalists, or ensembles improvising their parts with the orchestra; the conductor or assistant conductor(s); young children or senior citizens; the able or disabled; or anyone who has a deep need to say or express themselves — with their orchestra — within a moment of music, trust, and collective expression.

The conductor can also organize the work into a series of ‘Town Hall Cadenzas’, where one or two microphones are placed in the aisle or on stage, and at the designated moments in the score, members of the audience are allowed to speak and express themselves in any manner they deem fit for the amount of time allocated. To me, this is an ideal and integral part of the work, and any of the aforementioned ‘Speaker’ roles can be imaginatively placed throughout the work in combinations that work best for the musicians and their audiences. The only requirement is that Speakers begin where indicated and end before or where indicated, as precisely as possible.

The conductor should cue each Speaker (person, event, or ensemble) using a free hand to show the number of fingers corresponding to the circled number in the score. This cue would act as a 'warning', after which an additional appropriate signal should cue them to begin at the exact spot in the score at which that circled number appears.

This work is intended to be reflective of our highly divisive, combative, and collaborative times.

There is nothing that can be said or expressed that I would find inappropriate, unwanted, or alarming. I trust any audience to seize this opportunity for collaboration with their orchestra and make it their own, unique, shared experience for us all to witness.

Riots and Prayers allows for words, witness, and wonder.