Quince Ensemble: The Golden Ass
Free
Tiffany M. Skidmore – The Golden Ass
Libretto by Patrick Gallagher, Apuleius, and C'hu Yuan
Featuring Quince Vocal Ensemble
Carrie Henneman Shaw, Psyche
Elizabeth Pearse, Venus
Anna Elder, Chorus
Kayleigh Butcher, Chorus
Liz Pearse, soprano
Kayleigh Butcher, mezzo-soprano
Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, soprano
Carrie Henneman Shaw, soprano
Adam Zahller, Cupid/Chorus
Justin Anthony Spenner, Father/Cupid
Anthony R Green, cello
Joey Crane, cello
The Golden Ass is a modern setting of the Cupid and Psyche myth that focuses primarily on the relationship between Psyche and her jealous mother-in-law, Venus, and both their relationships to society. Psyche is a dissociating young girl (in no stars), a reluctant new bride (in shuangxi or “double happiness”), and both the daughter of one man and the wife of another who no longer value their partners as their partners begin to age (grow old). Venus encapsulates her own concerns about aging and the fear of being supplanted by a younger, more “viable” woman in mais mes mains (or “but my hands”). Society watches Psyche’s life unfold – at times silently failing to speak on her behalf, while at other times, amplifying the malignant voices that surround her.
The broadcast will take place at 6:30pm Central / 4:30pm Pacific.
Link to donate to 113 Composers Collective: http://www.113collective.com/support
Link to donate to Quince Ensemble: https://www.quince-ensemble.com/donate
About Quince Ensemble
Singing with the precision and flexibility of modern chamber musicians, Quince Ensemble, an all-female vocal quartet, is changing the paradigm of contemporary vocal music. Described as "the Anonymous 4 of new music" by Opera News, Quince continually pushes the boundaries of vocal ensemble literature.
As dedicated advocates of new music, Quince regularly commissions new works for voices, providing wider exposure for the music of living composers. In 2019, they launched the Quince New Music Commissioning Fund, a fund to grow the repertoire for women and treble voices. Quince has released four studio albums, Realign the Time, Hushers, Motherland, and David Lang's love fail, all available on iTunes, CD Baby, Spotify, Bandcamp, and Amazon.
Quince has been featured on many festivals and series like KODY Festival in Lublin, Poland in collaboration with David Lang and Beth Morrison Projects, the Outpost Concert Series, the Philip Glass: Music with Friends concert at Issue Project Room, University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium, and the SONiC Festival in New York, to name a few. During the 2021-22 season, they can be seen with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra/MUSICNOW, University of Chicago Presents, University of Florida, University of Miami, Frost School, and more!
Comprised of vocalists Liz Pearse (soprano), Kayleigh Butcher (mezzo soprano), Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano), and Carrie Henneman Shaw (soprano), Quince thrives on unique musical challenges and genre-bending contemporary repertoire.
http://www.quince-ensemble.com