Ascension takes audiences on a deeply emotional and spiritual journey, exploring themes of loss, resilience, and renewal. The program opens with Ave Verum Corpus Reimagined, a modern reimagining of the sacred Latin text that bridges centuries, reminding us of life’s fleeting yet sacred nature. James Keller’s If I Could Only Weep then gives voice to unspoken grief, expressing the aching vulnerability of loss. Kevin Hartnett’s De Profundis offers a raw cry for hope and deliverance from the depths. Alexander Levine’s Canticum Graduum (Songs of Ascent) propels the program upward with its interwoven themes of joy, unity, and faith, charting a journey of spiritual elevation. Juhi Bansal’s Aurora reflects on the transformative beauty that can arise from destruction, made even more powerful given her recent loss of home from the recent Los Angeles wildfires. The program culminates in Osnat Netzer’s Paths of Stone and Water, a poignant meditation on humanity’s relationship with the earth, the life-giving power of water, and the enduring hope found in our shared heritage. Together, these works weave a narrative of mourning, resilience, and ultimate transcendence.
Program Repertoire
Canticum Graduum by Alexander Levine (World Premiere)
De Profundis by Kevin Hartnett (United States Premiere)
Aurora by Juhi Bansal
Paths of Stone and Water by Osnat Netzer (West Coast Premiere)
Ave Verum Corups Reimagined by Roderick Williams (West Coast Premiere)
If Only I Could Weep by James Keller (United States Premiere)