These past two weeks, Chorosynthesis Singers has been Choral Scholars in Residence at Santa Monica College (SMC). While we had hoped to be singing together in person, COVID-19 has forced us to be innovative. We have joined the SMC choirs via Zoom during their retreat as well as lending our voices to their virtual projects. We invite you to join us, along with the SMC Concert Chorale, SMC Chamber Choir for Breaking the Silence: Beethoven and Beyond, an adapted version of our celebration of the sestercentennial of Ludwig von Beethoven’s birth (1770).

This collaborative performance will explore how Beethoven--a monumental composer--broke the silence of his deafness to transform the field of music. The program will include some of the texts from choral-orchestral works of Beethoven, including the final movement of Symphony No. 9, as well as Jake Runestad’s A Silence Haunts Me, which portrays the vulnerable letter Beethoven wrote to his brother, disclosing the pain of his hearing loss. This concert will also explore the examples of other people who moved beyond their “disabilities”—sometimes even transforming their disabilities to bring significant change to society—including winners from our recent Call for Scores:

She in the Dark, Found Light by Brian Driscoll (world premiere), the text of which is by African-American poet Langston Hughes and written about Helen Keller
Border by Rich Campbell (world premiere)
Illuminate the Night by Sherry Blevins (2nd performance)

Admission is Free, but registration is required. Alternatively, you can also watch on Facebook Live through the SMC Choirs page.