Strength Upon My Tongue
Curated by Jasper Sussman
June 1, 2023
7:30 p.m.

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
1008 Wall St., La Jolla, CA

San Diego New Music presents an theatrical program of song, poetry, and dance, curated by somatic composer, and performer Jasper Sussman

In Strength Upon My Tongue, a small cast of artists present a theatrical interweaving of song, poetry, and dance. Art songs such as Ives’ “The Cage” and Copland’s “Poet’s Song” are contextually reimagined, dramatically sung beside freeform 21st century works like Lacy’s “The Sicilian Mafia” and Sussman’s “G3 sequence: a singing meditation.” Each piece intentionally draws upon the last, narratively exploring points of experience along a path of grief and eventual acceptance. In dedication to her late mother, composer-performer Jasper Sussman conceived of this program as a form of performative catharsis. She hopes it will provide some healing to listeners in need. 

Program to be selected from: 
Pub I & II, by Georges Aperghis
Poet’s Song, by Aaron Copland
I Sang, from Moonsongs, by Michael Ippolito
The Cage, by Charles Ives
In Summer Fields, by Charles Ives
The Sicilian Mafia, by Lil Lacy
Gotham Lullaby, by Meredith Monk
The Tale, by Meredith Monk
Get Up, by Tanner Porter
A Clear Midnight, by Jasper Sussman
Etude I, by Jasper Sussman
G3 sequence: a singing meditation, by Jasper Sussman
The Wisdom of Emily, by Jasper Sussman

Jasper Sussman, voice
Kyle Adam Blair, piano
Anna Brown Massey, choreography and dance
Kathryn Schulmeister, double bass
Miguel Zazueta, voice

Jasper Sussman (b. Sept 17, 1989) is a collaborative composer, performer, improviser, and scholar pursuing her Ph.D. in Music at the University of California, San Diego. Her current work involves discovering, archiving, mastering and composing for the myriads of expressive capabilities that the human voice possesses, and understanding these sounds musically, culturally, and anatomically. Inspired by encounters with artists Cathy Berberian, Sainkho Namtchylak, Meredith Monk, Theo Bleckmann, Bobby McFerrin, Tanya Tagaq, Ken Ueno, Paul Botelho, FKA Twigs, and Alice Babs, Jasper has spent much of the last five years exploring raw and vulnerable vocal timbres.

Tickets will be available via the Athenaeum's website

$30 General Admission / $25 Athnaeum Members / $12 Students