Voices of mannahatta
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 @ 7:30 pm
Church of the Ascension
36 Fifth Avenue at Tenth St
New York, NY 10011
Danielle Jagelski, Artistic Director and Conductor
Hai-Ting Chinn, Curator, Voices of The New
Sage Ahebah Addington, Projection Designer
featuring
Works by Raven Chacon, Cris Derksen, and Andrew Balfour
World Premiere by Danielle Jagelski
The settlement of Manhattan Island embodies a complicated legacy marked by the colonization, clash of cultures, displacement of Indigenous and Black communities, and the continuation of this land as a hub for commerce, art, and connection.
On April 8th, Voices of Ascension will present Voices of Mannahatta at The Church of the Ascension, exploring the history of the land on which our concert hall stands, on the unceded lands of the Munsee Lenape, Mannahatta Island.
In collaboration with The Eagle Project—NYC's only Lenape-led performing arts organization—this concert will feature the multimedia world premiere by composer Danielle Olana Jagelski (Oneida/Ojibwe). Written for five Indigenous classical singers from the Mvskogee, Acoma Pueblo, Cherokee, Anishinaabe, and Taíno Nations, the composition Holy Ground is accompanied by a five-octave marimba and vibraphone, with video imagery created by visual artist Sage Ahebah Addington (Navajo).
The program will also include performances of Raven Chacon's 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning composition Voiceless Mass featuring The International Contemporary Ensemble and the Church’s Manton Memorial Organ, Andrew Balfour's Vision Chant, and Cris Derksen’s Triumph of the Euro-Christ (a United States premiere).
“Holy Ground is a piece written for the land on 5th avenue between 10th and 11th streets on Mannahatta in Sapokanikan; right near Kintecoying in Lenapehoking; Nimaamaa-aki just like everywhere else. It is also written to be sung with that land, in the acoustic conditions of the building currently standing there- the Church of the Ascension.
This piece, written for 5 voices and percussion, is an effort to listen to this little plot of land- what she has to say to those who inhabit it, and what we have to say to her?”
What happens if we sing with the land, rather than to her?
What will happen if we stop excavating, but instead start listening?
What will happen if, rather than extracting, we nourish?
What if while learning, we un-learn too?
What does she have to teach us?
Do you think that we are the ones who made this ground holy?
- Danielle Jagelski, 2024
Premiered on November 21, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Voiceless Mass is a mesmerizing, original work for organ and ensemble that evokes the weight of history in a church setting, a concentrated and powerful musical expression with a haunting visceral impact. Winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Music.
Featuring members of the International Contemporary Ensemble:
Alice Teyssier, Flute
Josh Rubin, Clarinet
Kristina Teuschler, Bass Clarinet
Colleen Bernstein, Percussion
Clara Warnaar, Percussion
Andrew Henderson, Pedal organ
Yezu Woo, Violin
Pala Garcia, Violin
Kal Sugatski, Viola
John Popham, Cello
Kebra-Seyoun Charles, Contrabass
Dylan Aguayo, Sine Tones
Raven Chacon is a composer, performer and installation artist from Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation. As a solo artist, collaborator, or with Postcommodity, Chacon has exhibited or performed at Whitney Biennial, documenta 14, REDCAT, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Borealis Festival, San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, Chaco Canyon, Ende Tymes Festival, 18th Biennale of Sydney, and The Kennedy Center. Every year, he teaches 20 students to write string quartets for the Native American Composer Apprenticeship Project (NACAP). He is the recipient of the United States Artists fellowship in Music, The Creative Capital award in Visual Arts, The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation artist fellowship, the American Academy’s Berlin Prize for Music Composition, and the Pew Fellowship. He lives in Albuquerque, NM.
Upcoming Concerts in our 2024-25 Season
