On Friday, February 25th at the Savoy at Curtis Park in Denver, Playground Ensemble is presenting a really special program, featuring pieces of music that involve texts by people that were or are incarcerated. The 7pm show is already sold out(!), but a 9pm show has been added, and will most likely sell out quickly too. All proceeds go to Remerg, a re-entry resource for people getting out of jail and prison.
The past several months I've been working on two pieces for this program, Echoes from Inside, a collage of interviews with incarcerated people that offers a glimpse into what it feels like to be incarcerated in America, and Buried Alive, a gorgeous and devastating poem accompanied by string trio.
This is one of the most meaningful projects I've ever been involved in. I have learned so much, and felt heartbroken and been deeply touched by reading and listening to so many stories of cruelty, injustice, and resilience. I hope that if you're in the area, you'll attend. May this program change the hearts and minds of those who listen.
Thank you, Wayne A. Gilbert, Nathan Ybanez, and Richard vonFoerster for being such lovely humans, and for all of your help with this project, and thank you to Playground for giving me this incredible opportunity.
For those who can't attend in person, this program will be live-streamed.
tickets: https://www.playgroundensemble.org/