Syrinx, Semele, and the Sirens: Reframing Myths “For All Our Sisters” with Seattle Early Music

You may remember my being commissioned, back in 2018, to write the libretto for a cantata reframing the mythical Sirens by Seattle composer Aaron Grad. Our collaboration resulted in Honey-sweet we sing for you, an eleven-minute cantata for soprano, flute, and harpsichord. The cantata premiered in March 2019 with Burning River Baroque of Cleveland as part of its program “The Other Side of the Story: Untold Perspectives on Familiar Tales.” The performance by Seattle Baroque Orchestra, originally scheduled for spring 2020, was delayed by the pandemic, so we made a video series featuring snippets and adaptations of the planned performances, along with performer interviews, for audiences to view online.

Finally, with the arts reopened, I’m thrilled to say that the full program of “For All Our Sisters” will be performed at Town Hall Seattle on Sunday, June 12th, 2:00 p.m. The hour-long program will consist of works reinterpreting the stories of mythical women–Syrinx, Semele, and the Sirens–for the #MeToo era. It melds original poems by former Washington State Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna and by me, dance by Mylvia Pacheco, and performances for soprano and ensemble of Michel Pignolet de Montéclair’s 1713 Pan et Syrinx, Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre’s 1715 Semelé, Bach’s Sarabande (for Semele), and Aaron Grad’s Honey-sweet we sing for you. You can read more here about the performers and program, and detailed program notes here by Dr. Paula Maust of Burning River Baroque.

Ticket options are for the live performance on June 12, and for the virtual performance available online starting Saturday, June 18th, 7 p.m. PST. I hope whether you’re near or far, you can join us for this program!