Performed by Fuse Ensemble:  Tula Pisano, voice Jennifer Lapple, flute Angela Murakami, clarinet Greg Hiser, violin Erin Snedecor, cello Ethan Foote, bass Ina Mirtcheva Blevins, piano Scott Deal, percussion Gina Biver, spoken word, live audio
Nimbus is an artistic collaboration between poet Colette Inez and composer Gina Biver that allows the listener a glance into the early life of Ms. Inez, the lovechild of a Roman Catholic priest and the young French scholar assigned to assist him. The poems chosen by Ms. Inez for this project include the poet’s contemplations on her parents’ lusty, hidden affair in warm southwest France: thoughts of her father as he cast aside his priestly vows, the aftermath of her mother’s pregnancy in 1930s Nérac, France, and their abandonment of the baby Colette to an orphanage in Belgium.The comingling of forbidden sex, lust and religion are laid bare in these unapologetic poems that become richer as they subtly manifest the poet’s young life spent longing for the lost embrace of her family. 

The music of Nimbus is a set of seven miniatures for electroacoustic chamber ensemble, spoken word and soprano voice. Several audio recordings made by the composer at Ms. Inez’s apartment in New York present the beautiful aging voice of Ms. Inez as she reads her poems, while others are sung by soprano Tula Pisano or read by the composer. Ambient audio recordings of church bells, children, city sounds and the interiors of churches were captured live in the town of Nérac, France and its environs in August 2018 by the composer. 

Through Ms. Inez’s husband Saul and the generosity of her cousin Jean-Jacques Dulong, Ms. Biver was able to compose the music for Nimbus in 2018 in the Dulong family estate -- the river house in Nérac, France that Colette mentions in her memoir “The Secret of M. Dulong” (University of Wisconsin Press).

Available for purchase at NEUMA Records and all listening platforms.
Performed by Fuse Ensemble:
Tula Pisano, voice
Jennifer Lapple, flute
Angela Murakami, clarinet
Greg Hiser, violin
Erin Snedecor, cello
Ethan Foote, bass
Ina Mirtcheva Blevins, piano
Scott Deal, percussion
Gina Biver, spoken word, live audio

VII - Fish Dinner With Oysters Stripped Of Their Pearls

VI - Father Song