Enjoy the Bard College Community Orchestra in concert, livestreamed from Olin Hall, featuring Maeve McKaig, violin soloist, in Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei and music of Elgar, Mendelssohn, and Mozart. Conductors: Zachary Schwartzman and Erica Kiesewetter. This concert took place on November 16, 2020.
Sunday, February 5, 2023 Fisher Center, LUMA Theater3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST/GMT-5 The ever popular Bard Opera Workshop returns with student singers performing an eclectic selection of scenes and arias from the operatic canon. This year’s production will include ensembles, choruses and arias from operas by Handel, Mozart, Humperdinck, Puccini, Bizet, Donizetti and more, directed by Bard alum Emily Cuk, and accompanied by an orchestra comprised of Bard students.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST/GMT-5 Fisher Center, LUMA Theater
2/05
Sunday
Sunday, February 5, 2023 Fisher Center, LUMA Theater3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST/GMT-5 The ever popular Bard Opera Workshop returns with student singers performing an eclectic selection of scenes and arias from the operatic canon. This year’s production will include ensembles, choruses and arias from operas by Handel, Mozart, Humperdinck, Puccini, Bizet, Donizetti and more, directed by Bard alum Emily Cuk, and accompanied by an orchestra comprised of Bard students.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST/GMT-5 Fisher Center, LUMA Theater
“Good Evening, we are from Ukraine.” Maria Sonevytsky Examines the Development of a Viral Phrase for the Los Angeles Review of Books
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Music Maria Sonevytsky, in an essay for the Los Angeles Review of Books, reflects on how a Ukrainian phrase has transformed into a viral wartime slogan. “Good evening, we are from Ukraine,” a seemingly casual statement, has accumulated multiple meanings and layers throughout its evolution into an inclusive rallying cry for those who call the country home. “This phrase, which began as a musician’s offhand stage banter sampled into an EDM anthem, became a slogan invoked by Ukrainian politicians, soldiers, intellectuals, keyboard warriors, and their supporters around the globe,” she writes.
“Good Evening, we are from Ukraine.” Maria Sonevytsky Examines the Development of a Viral Phrase for the Los Angeles Review of Books
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Music Maria Sonevytsky, in an essay for the Los Angeles Review of Books, reflects on how a Ukrainian phrase has transformed into a viral wartime slogan. “Good evening, we are from Ukraine,” a seemingly casual statement, has accumulated multiple meanings and layers throughout its evolution into an inclusive rallying cry for those who call the country home. “This phrase, which began as a musician’s offhand stage banter sampled into an EDM anthem, became a slogan invoked by Ukrainian politicians, soldiers, intellectuals, keyboard warriors, and their supporters around the globe,” she writes. For Sonevytsky, the brilliance of the statement is how its innocuous phrasing, at first glance a simple greeting, masks its inherent radicalism and defiance of the Russian’s state’s attempts to deny Ukraine’s existence. “The slogan works precisely because it does not traffic in the essentializing rhetoric of being Ukrainian,” she continues. “It is not for an individual declaring an identity: ‘I am Ukrainian.’ It is instead a collective, matter-of-fact statement: ‘We are from Ukraine.’ This also implies—and I still resent that this must be said, but here we are—that Ukraine exists, is a legitimate place, and contains people who claim it as home.”
A song cycle envisioned and commissioned by Sparks & Wiry Cries, an organization cofounded by Assistant Professor of Music Erika Switzer together with Martha Guth, premiered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Thursday and at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia on Sunday. Songs in Flight, which was reviewed by the New York Times, portrays the individual lives of fugitives from slavery in America and was composed by Shawn Okpebholo with texts curated by Tsitsi Ella Jaji of Duke University.
Project Led by Sparks & Wiry Cries, Cofounded by Assistant Professor Erika Switzer, Reviewed in the New York Times
A song cycle envisioned and commissioned by Sparks & Wiry Cries, an organization cofounded by Assistant Professor of Music Erika Switzer together with Martha Guth, premiered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Thursday and at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia on Sunday. Songs in Flight, which was reviewed by the New York Times, portrays the individual lives of fugitives from slavery in America and was composed by Shawn Okpebholo with texts curated by Tsitsi Ella Jaji of Duke University. The project was conceived in response to the “Freedom on the Move” database by Cornell University, an archive of digitized fugitive slave advertisements, and was awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2021. “We at Sparks & Wiry Cries were honored to develop this project from inception to presentation alongside extraordinary artists who joined us in our mission of collaborative creation,” said Switzer. “Every member of the team dug deep to courageously represent and reflect upon the stories of self-emancipating individuals found within the Freedom on the Move database.” The song cycle is one of several Sparks & Wiry projects created to reinvigorate art song, a tradition of vocal music composition accompanied by piano, along with the organization’s songSLAM competition, which is now presenting in 10 cities and four countries.
This January, the American Academy of Arts and Letters announced the winners of the 2023 Charles Ives Opera Prize and the Marc Blitzstein Memorial Awards. Bard Composer in Residence Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek will each receive a Marc Blitzstein Memorial Award of $10,000, which are given in the memory of Marc Blitzstein to composers, lyricists, or librettists to encourage the creation of works of merit for musical theater and opera.
Bard Composer in Residence Missy Mazzoli Named Winner of Marc Blitzstein Memorial Award
This January, the American Academy of Arts and Letters announced the winners of the 2023 Charles Ives Opera Prize and the Marc Blitzstein Memorial Awards. Bard Composer in Residence Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek will each receive a Marc Blitzstein Memorial Award of $10,000, which are given in the memory of Marc Blitzstein to composers, lyricists, or librettists to encourage the creation of works of merit for musical theater and opera. Mazzoli and Vavrek have collaborated on the operas Breaking the Waves, Proving Up, Songs from the Uproar, and The Listeners. In 1965 the friends of Academy member Marc Blitzstein (1905-1964) set up a fund in his memory for an award, now $10,000, to be given periodically to a composer, lyricist, or librettist, to encourage the creation of works of merit for musical theater and opera. The awards, to be given at the annual Ceremonial in May, “reflect the essential mission of the Academy to recognize, identify, and reward works of highest aspiration and superior craft by contemporary artists in our culture,” said Yehudi Wyner, a composer member and former president of the Academy.
Bard Professor Maria Sonevytsky Awarded National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for Her Book Project on Children’s Musical Practices in Soviet Ukraine
Bard Associate Professor of Anthropology and Music Maria Sonevytsky has received a fellowship award from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in support of her book project, Singing for Lenin in Soviet Ukraine: Children, Music, and the Communist Future. NEH Fellowships support advanced research in the humanities by college and university teachers and independent scholars. Sonevytsky’s award supports her research and writing leading to a book about Soviet education and children’s musical practices in Soviet Ukraine, from 1934 to 1991.
Spectacles of musical childhood were widespread in Soviet life. Children’s groups performed at political events, factories, and international festivals. They were showcased on Soviet radio and television, and institutionalized in “Palaces of Pioneers.” Inculcating children into Soviet norms of citizenship, gender, and musicality was a vital project to ensure the longevity of the USSR, yet both children and music present unruly vectors through which to achieve the goals of norming.
Singing for Lenin in Soviet Ukraine: Children, Music, and the Communist Future, follows the “imperial turn” in Soviet historiography to Soviet Ukraine, interpreting the dynamic arena of children’s musical practices through newly discovered archival materials and original interviews. The research reveals how Soviet Ukrainian children and their educators creatively recast the prerogatives of Soviet education, with its promise of a stateless Communist future. Paying attention to performance, embodiment, and sound, Sonevytsky aims to restore a fuller sensorium to the emerging understanding of how Soviet children and childhood appeared and were managed within the Soviet state, while observing how children and their teachers reacted to—and sometimes against—the ideological dimensions of Soviet musical education.
“Oi u luzi chervona kalyna” Has Become an Anthem of Resistance in Ukraine, Says Professor Maria Sonevystky on The World
After the liberation of Kherson in November 2022, residents could be heard in the streets singing the Ukrainian national anthem. Alongside it, however, another song was being sung. “‘Oi u luzi chervona kalyna,’ or ‘Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow,’ has become a symbol of resistance against Russian aggression,” writes Daniel Ofman for The World. Maria Sonevystky, associate professor of anthropology and music, told Ofman the song “is closely identified with Ukrainian poetry and music,” and that Ukrainian folk songs often employ naturalistic imagery. “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna” is no different, using the “red viburnum” from which the song takes its name as a grounding metaphor for liberation. “From that kind of opening image, you unspool a kind of metaphor, or a story about politics, or the complexity of life, and that’s the case here, too,” said Sonevystky.
James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and the Humanities Walter Russell Mead’s The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People is named among 100 Notable Books of 2022 by the New York Times Book Review.
Two Bard College Students, Sonita Alizada and Nawara Alaboud, Win Prestigious Rhodes Scholarships
Two Bard College students have won Rhodes Scholarships for 2023, Sonita Alizada ’23 from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, and Nawara Alaboud ’23 from Bard College Berlin. One of the most prestigious scholarships available to undergraduates, the Rhodes is a fully funded award for postgraduate study at the University of Oxford. Alizada, originally from Afghanistan, is one of only two applicants to have been awarded a Global Rhodes Scholarship, available to students from nations that are not members of established Rhodes constituencies. She joins Ronan Farrow ’04 as the second Rhodes winner from Bard College in Annandale, and she distinguishes herself as the first Bard student to receive the scholarship while still an undergraduate. Alaboud, originally from Syria, is the first Bard College Berlin student to receive a Rhodes Scholarship. She was awarded one of two Rhodes Scholarships in partnership with the Saïd Foundation for students from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine.
“We are extremely proud that two Bard students have received prestigious Rhodes scholarships this year. That one student is from Afghanistan and another from Syria speaks volumes about Bard’s commitment to education and social justice,” said Bard Executive Vice President Jonathan Becker.
Sonita Alizada is internationally recognized as a rapper and human rights advocate. She has spoken and performed at United Nations events, urging an end to child marriage and standing up for the rights of women and girls, especially in her home country. At Bard, Alizada is nearing completion of a degree in human rights and music and is an active participant in civic engagement efforts in and around the campus community. As a Rhodes scholar, Alizada will continue her work by pursuing graduate study in public policy at Oxford. “I want to make real change,” she says, “and that comes from changing the laws. Now it’s time for me to really take action by working with policymakers.” Alizada points out that applying for a Rhodes Scholarship is a group effort that requires close collaboration with campus mentors. “Bard has always been there for me, especially with the Rhodes Scholarship,” she says. “The faculty invested so much in me and the goals I have. I want to especially thank Molly Freitas [associate dean of studies]. Molly was so supportive in the application process.”
"Sonita is a star and a natural leader. Given her talents and intellect, it was an absolute pleasure to work with her on her Rhodes journey,” says Freitas. “The Rhodes is an exciting and fitting accomplishment for someone of her talents, and I have no doubt it will accelerate her ability to enact positive change in our world. She has already changed Bard with her dynamism and I have no doubt she will do the same at Oxford. At Bard, we couldn't be prouder of her!"
"You never know how much is in your ability/power until you really try, so believe in yourself and the world full of opportunities waiting for you!" —Sonita Alizada ’23
Alizada urges young people to challenge themselves and apply their own vision to the world’s problems. “This is very important, not only for Rhodes but for everything you’re trying to do to make the world a livable place for everyone.” She encourages Bard students to explore fellowships and scholarships. “The whole application process for Rhodes was so exciting,” she observes. While applying, Alizada said questions arose that required deep reflection and consideration of her responses. “It helped me get to know myself and my mission even more. If you apply, you will have more courage to compete or take action in order to achieve your dream. I encourage everyone to take big steps. There’s nothing lost in applying because of how much you will learn in the process.”
As she looks toward graduation in May and beginning her studies at Oxford, Alizada is more committed than ever to public service. “Bard has provided me with incredible opportunities. I’m hoping that I carry on what I have achieved here. With the experience at Oxford, I hope to become a better leader so I can give it back to people who need it.”
Nawara Alaboud is studying for a BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought (concentration in ethics and politics) at Bard College Berlin through PIESC, a scholarship program for students from regions of conflict and crisis.
Intrigued by the interconnectedness of historical and political scenarios across the globe, Alaboud aspires to pursue future research in comparative political science. In particular, she is interested in the processes of war termination, peacebuilding, and democratization and their interactions in post–civil war countries, especially in the Middle East region.
Currently, Alaboud is working on her bachelor’s thesis, which attempts to trace the effects of peace agreements on the success of democratic transitions. At Oxford, she hopes to pursue an MPhil in politics (comparative government). Before moving to Germany, Alaboud lived and studied in Syria, India, and, most recently, France, where she pursued an Erasmus exchange program at Sciences Po.
Alaboud says, “The prospect of joining the wide community of previous Rhodes scholars, and the chance to join the outstanding academic community at Oxford, is incredibly exciting. It is not lost upon me what a rare privilege this is; so many gifted young Syrians deserve such an opportunity but are hindered from receiving it by the severest of circumstances. I hope to be able to make the most of my time at Oxford and to contribute something of value to the field of post-conflict studies, especially for the people who suffer the consequences of war everywhere. This would have never been possible without the help and support of so many incredible people, especially to my ever-so-generous professors and academic adviser."
Bard Conservatory Faculty Member Renée Anne Louprette in Romania on Fulbright Award for Research on Historic Pipe Organs
Renée Anne Louprette, assistant professor of music, director of the Bard Baroque Ensemble, and College organist, is spending her fall semester sabbatical conducting research supported by a Fulbright US Scholar Award in Brașov, Romania. Hosted by Transylvania University, Louprette’s project focuses on the rich cultural heritage of historic pipe organs in the Transylvanian region and the efforts of local artisans to rescue, preserve, and restore these instruments. She has given recital performances in the urban centers of Brașov and Sibiu, completed audio and video recordings of 18th-century instruments in fortified churches of Mediaș, Saschiz, and Hărman, and of the 1930 Wegenstein organ in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Bucharest. She is also conducting interviews and collecting critical documentation related to notable 18th-century organ builders and recent restorations. She hopes that these efforts will help cast new light on this precious musical heritage unique to Romania as a cross-cultural center of Eastern Europe.
Professor Sarah Hennies Reviews Codeine’s Lost Album, Dessau, for NPR
Sarah Hennies, visiting assistant professor of music, reviewed Codeine’s lost album, Dessau, for NPR. Recorded in June 1992 at Harold Dessau Recording studio in New York City, the album consists mostly of songs that appeared on later albums, some in similar form and others considerably changed. For Hennies, the recordings evoke teenage memories of her band sharing a bill with Codeine at a daylong concert in Louisville, Kentucky in 1993. Listening to the album years later, Hennies writes, “Dessau feels like a ghost.”
Fisher Center, LUMA Theater7:30 pm – 8:30 pm EST/GMT-5 The ever popular Bard Opera Workshop returns with student singers performing an eclectic selection of scenes and arias from the operatic canon. This year’s production will include ensembles, choruses and arias from operas by Handel, Mozart, Humperdinck, Puccini, Bizet, Donizetti and more, directed by Bard alum Emily Cuk, and accompanied by an orchestra comprised of Bard students.