Vocalist

The Comet / Poppea brings together seemingly disparate worlds connected by stories of cultural transformation. The work juxtaposes Claudio Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea), an Italian opera from 1643 unfolding among the social divisions of ancient Rome; and the world premiere of The Comet, based on the 1924 science-fiction short story by sociologist and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois. Set in 1920s New York City, “The Comet” depicts a Black man and white woman as the only survivors after a comet hits Earth.

EPSG:4326

The Comet / Poppea

Museum of Contemporary Art

**Event: Synchromy Waterways and Dwellings**

**Date & Time:** Saturday, November 18th, 2023, at 2:30pm

**Venue:** Culver City Foshay Lodge, 9635 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232

**Description:** Dive into the depths of ecological and cultural exploration with Molly Pease's "Waterways and Dwellings," a meditative musical piece that turns towards Ballona Creek for inspiration. This performance, set against the backdrop of Culver City's landscape, is a journey through four voices that chart a course of discovery and contemplation. The piece delves into the question of what constitutes a dwelling place, using the creek as a source of ecological and cultural knowledge.

**Tickets:**
- General admission: $25.00
- Senior citizens, students, and artists financially impacted by COVID-19: $15.00

**Program Highlights:**
- Molly Pease: Waterways and Dwellings (Four Movements)
- Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
- Michael Dellaira: Campers at Kitty Hawk
- Saro Lynch-Thomason arr. Saunder Choi: More Waters Rising
- Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork III: Love, from Songs of Love and Justice
- William Grant Still: I Dream a World Text by Langston Hughes

**Performers:**
- Mikaela Elson, Soprano
- Molly Pease, Soprano
- Saunder Choi, Tenor
- Paul Chwe MinChul An, Bass
- Joshua Tan, Keyboards
- Isaac Schankler, Electronics

**Artistic Direction Team:** Juhi Bansal, Chloé Malia Vaught, and Fahad Siadat

**Special Note:** The performance is interwoven with historic vocal music and includes a post-event conversation led by Sylvia Hathaway Chavez and historian John Kent, contemplating Culver City’s past, present, and future.

**Program Note:** "Waterways and Dwellings" begins with a walk along Ballona Creek, capturing the ecological and social conditions through sound and texture. The piece reflects on Culver City's history, its current housing crisis, and the environmental impact of littering, creating a sonic landscape that converses with the city's past and present.

**Biographies:** Molly Pease, a versatile LA-based vocal artist and composer, is known for her experimental and collaborative approach to music. Molly Bendall, the writer behind the text of "Waterways and Dwellings," is an acclaimed poet with several collections to her name.

**Support:** This performance is supported by the City of Culver City, its Cultural Affairs Commission, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and the Culver City Arts Foundation, with electronics and live sound expertise provided by People Inside Electronics.

Join us for an unforgettable exploration of sound, space, and community in the heart of Culver City.

Waterways and Dwellings

Culver City Foshay Lodge

Audiences will embark on a cosmic mission, as a starship crew seeks refuge on the hostile Planet 85K: Aurora. Once there, the colonists encounter intelligent life imperceptible to their all-too-human awareness. As the planet defends itself from their invasive presence, the humans evolve to become a part of the Holobiont, a queerly multi-species organism that covers this world. STAR CHOIR offers a meditation on the challenges and pleasures of mutual coexistence, reimagining humanity as a porous category that must transform to survive.

Star Choir

Mount Wilson Observatory

The Angel City Jazz Festival consistently features the most innovative and original musicians working today, balancing established artists with emerging talent, and focusing on West Coast creative jazz—past, present, and future.

Mikaela Elson

Vocalist

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 27, 2024

Wayne Horvitz: Zony Mash and Electric Circus · Redcat - Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater

Past events

14 - 23 Jun, 2024

The Comet / Poppea · The Industry

Nov 18, 2023

Waterways and Dwellings · Synchromy

Future and recently performed repertoire

Singer in Star Choir by Gaines

The Industry

About

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