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SAARIAHO From the Grammar of Dreams
SCELSI Sauh I
BANSAL Stinging, ringing bells
ZOHN-MULDOON Destierros
 
Destierros (“Banishments”) was composed for the Quince Ensemble, thanks to a 2020 commission from the Fromm Music Foundation. It is scored for four female voices and written in the spirit of a madrigal. Destierros was premiered at the Teatro Degollado of Guadalajara, under the auspices of the Festival Cultural de Mayo, on May 13, 2023. It was performed by the Quince Ensemble, and staged by the theatre / puppet company La Coperacha, under the direction of Antonio Camacho.

Destierros sets a collection of poetic texts by my sister Laura Zohn, a well-known multi-disciplinary artist who resides in Guadalajara. The texts are organized as four "images" that explore different facets of uprootment: being torn asunder from community, family affection, social convention, and mental sanity.  The texts in the collection present a constellation of imaginary introspections, inspired on the lives of four remarkable women in our family, all born in the early 20th century. Their lives were marked by painful traumas, foremost among which were madness, illegitimacy, exile, and sterility. The texts pay homage to the courage, resilience, and grace of these four women, as they navigated their struggles to find meaning in their lives, and that of their families.

Quince Ensemble is a treble voice quartet dedicated to changing the paradigm for contemporary vocal chamber music. Described as "the Anonymous 4 of new music" by Opera News, Quince continually pushes the boundaries of vocal ensemble literature. By performing almost exclusively the music of living composers, and actively commissioning works with a broad and curious aesthetic ear, we seek to create a landscape of contemporary vocal music that is embodied, complex, and expressive, with the musical boldness and virtuosity that is often reserved for instrumental groups. Read more...

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