Cycles of Resistance - The 222 by Nourbakhsh, Green, A. R., Wiener, M., Xuefei Zhang, Joyce, M., McCall, L., Gülsün, Cady, J., Silberstein, M., ket 28 rgs 2023, Nuo (2023/2023), The 222 Art Gallery, Healdsburg, United States

The 222 Art Gallery presents: Cycles of Resistance, a recital of new commissions by soprano Chelsea Hollow aiming to expand perspective. Hollow says, “I believe that art can serve us in a variety of ways: we can escape into fantastic worlds; we can laugh, smile, and breathe together; we can gain perspective and empathy.” The music and texts journey through a series of international resistance movements over the last 120 years; they are powerful, sometimes tragic and serve to add perspective, catharsis, and clarity. This project began as Hollow’s longing for her artist community during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. With a call for proposals, she invited composers to submit ideas which addressed issues important to them and their community. The 24 songs represent diverse perspectives and languages not yet common in the classical canon: Mandarin, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, Sanskrit, and Czech in addition to English, chronicling examples of human resilience: Chinese feminist poetry from the early 1900s; a Dutch sonnet on love conquering all evils; the unity of young Czech girls imprisoned in Room 28 at Theresienstadt Internment Camp; a reminder that all humans are part of the disability community at some point in their lives; maternal hesitation, clarity, and urgency in the Flint, Michigan water crisis; harrowing tales of the Turkish Femicide; Prayers of Peace from the traditions of Islam and Hinduism; & inspiring speeches by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and activist Valarie Kaur.