Light Shines: Images of Hope by Juhi Bansal

Inversion Ensemble presents Through the Prism
October 16 & 17, 2021
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director 
Ellie Kim, Singer/Songwriter
Dr. Joseph Choi, Collaborative Pianist

Stars shine bright
When shadow falls, we look for the light
In the dark, leaves whisper a broken rhythm Hope is in the wind
In drops of rain caressing the desert
We ache for vast silence
Light shines ahead
The cosmos within us, we touch the stars Light falls from the sky like tears
Stillness
As shadow falls
Stars shine
Hope will blaze like a lightning flash through the sky As shadow falls
Stars shine bright

Program note | “Light Shines” grew out of a question I imagine many musicians ask during their lifetime: When confronted with hatred, darkness, violence and fear in this world – how do we continue to make music? Where do we find hope in the face of cruelty? Where do we find solace in a world filled with sadness and futil- ity? Perhaps the answer is in music itself – in coming together with many voices to celebrate beauty, to create beauty; hoping together for better things and times to come. “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” — Leonard Bernstein, 1963

Concert program:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f9607024d9e1504000e15be/t/61659a67e563283f6e829041/1634048659350/throughtheprism-FINALv2.pdf

Inversion Ensemble
https://www.inversionatx.org

Light Shines: Images of Hope by Juhi Bansal

The Tyger from Three Poems of William Blake by Trevor F. Shaw (ASCAP)

performed March 3, 2019
Redeemer Presbyterian Church
Austin, Texas
Inversion Ensemble directed by Trevor F. Shaw 
Steven Brennfleck, Guest Conductor

Text: William Blake (1757-1827)

The Tyger

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies. 
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire? 
What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art, 
Could twist the sinews of thy heart? 
And when thy heart began to beat, 
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain, 
In what furnace was thy brain? 
What the anvil? what dread grasp, 
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears 
And water'd heaven with their tears: 
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright, .... (repeat)

Note:
I wrote  Three Poems of William Blake in late 2007/early 2008, a time when I was just beginning to reject tradition in my composition, instead infusing my music with my significant jazz background. In comparison to my most recent works, this may seem a subtle iteration of my compositional language. William Blake was a complex person. Both a brilliant poet and artist, he was radically religious, though he generally rejected organized religion, claiming to have experienced visions as a child. Because of the nature of his faith, seemingly secular poems, such as "A Dream" and "Tyger, Tyger" are filled with religious symbolism. "Love's Secret" represents the peculiar relationship Blake had with romantic love, as he had been turned down in response to his first marriage proposal, and claimed to have fallen in love with his eventual wife, Catherine, because she felt sorry for him. The poem takes on an unsettling nature in that light. This three-movement collection is my interpretation of William Blake, the complex human, piercing through his poetry on a personal, visceral level. The whimsical nature of dreams as a channel for divine guidance, the creepy ineptitude of unrequited love, and witnessing the presence of God embodied in a vicious predatory beast all create fantastic opportunities for a composer to relate by means of harmony. If you listen closely in "A Dream", you'll hear my enthusiasm for Wagner's music, including my use of his famous "Tristan Chord" (F-B-D#-G#). I was listening to an absurd amount of his music at the time. I also reluctantly admit that "Love's Secret" contains one of the only instances of a cluster chord in all of my works of music, but it seemed necessary to express the poem's tone. Finally, long-term Inversion Ensemble devotees will recognize the harmonic progression in the middle of "The Tyger" as one I revisited in 2017 for "Ode to a Tardigrade". - Trevor Shaw

The Tyger from Three Poems of William Blake by Trevor F. Shaw (ASCAP)

Welcome to the inaugural performance of Inversion Ensemble Da Capo, a professional treble chorus and the newest addition
to the Inversion family! My name is Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon and I am so honored to be here today. Singing with Inversion since 2017 has been such a wonderful experience for me, but having the chance to help form an ensemble dedicated to the Inversion family! My name is Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon and I am so honored to be here today. Singing with Inversion since 2017 has been such a wonderful experience for me, but having the chance to help form an ensemble dedicated to new music for treble voices is truly exciting. Da Capo means literally "from the head" and we hope that this ensemble
showcases thoughtful and provocative music while maintaining Inversion's mission of performing new music from primarily
local composers--singing Austin's present and future, not Europe's past. When it comes to music written for sopranos and altos, choral composers often resort to a particular style: soft and pretty.
And with good reason! Treble voices do that very well. But they can also run the gamut of human expression in a way that
pierces the soul. Our concert today travels between joy, fear, existentialism, sorrow, praise, love, and desperation. We aim to
evoke the power and delicacy, the grit and gloss, the stoicism and passion of treble voices in harmony and we sincerely hope
that you leave here with a renewed appreciation for this music. Thank you so much for joining us!
Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon, Da Capo Director

Inversion Ensemble Da Capo's Inaugural Concert
July 13, 2019
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Austin, Texas
Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon, Da Capo Director
Cathie Parsley, piano

The Perils of Procrastination by Marjorie Halloran

The Singing Shepherd by Kathleen Allan
Performed by Inversion Ensemble Coda
August 11, 2019
Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director
Cina Crisara, Guest Conductor

Text: Marjorie Pickthall (1883-1922)
O saw you our belovéd where the cedars darken over
The moon-white iris grown beside the stream?
Or did you meet him walking in the honey-breathing clover,
The first star flowered before him like a dream?
O far and very far away from all your quiet fountains,
From all your solemn valleys rich in sleep,
I only heard a shepherd singing on the mountains,
Singing as he folded in the sheep.
O found you our belovéd ere the winds of morning found him
In the thickets by still waters where love is?
Did you know him from his fellows by the thorny bents that crowned him
Among the lily-gardens that are his?
O far away and far away from all the hidden meadows,
From the gardens where the year goes shod in gold,
I only heard a shepherd singing in the shadows
As he carried home the younglings to the fold.

The Singing Shepherd by Kathleen Allan Aug. 11, 2019

Wren by Adrienne Inglis (ASCAP)(world première)

Performed by Inversion Ensemble
Artistic director Trevor F. Shaw
Guest conductor Dr. Joshua Chai
September 29, 2019
Arts on Alexander
Redeemer Presbyterian Church
Austin, Texas

Performed by Inversion Ensemble
Artistic director Trevor F. Shaw
Adrienne Inglis, flute
Guest conductor Dr. Joshua Chai
September 29, 2019
Arts on Alexander
Redeemer Presbyterian Church
Austin, Texas

Text: Robert MacFarlane (b. 1976)
When wren whirrs from stone to furze the world around her slows, for wren is quick, so quick she blurs
the air through which she flows, yes—
Rapid wren is needle, rapid wren is pin—and wren’s song is sharp-song, briar-song, thorn-song, and
wren’s flight is dart-flight, flick-flight, light-flight, yes—
Each wren etches, stitches, switches, glitches, yes—
Now you think you see wren, now you know you don’t.

Commissioned by Inversion Ensemble, Wren (2019) by Adrienne Inglis sets Robert Macfarlane’s acrostic poem of the same name for mixed chorus and flute. With quick harmonic changes, syncopations, and melodic gestures, the composition captures a sense of the charming poem as well as the actual Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) found year round throughout the United
Kingdom. Macfarlane’s poem Wren comes from his 2017 illustrated poetry book, The Lost Words, which conjures pictures of wild things and untamed spaces that get shortchanged in modern urban life.

Wren by Adrienne Inglis (ASCAP) September 29, 2019

Demon by Matthew Brown 
performed June 2, 2019
Inversion Ensemble
Trevor F. Shaw, artistic director

DEMON by Matthew Brown
performed June 2, 2019
Inversion Ensemble
Trevor F. Shaw, artistic director

Text: Marcus 5:9
Legio nomen mihi [Our name is Legion]
Est multi sumus [For we are many]

DEMON was written and premiered on Saturday, October 15, 2015, presented to an audience of film and video game composers as a
demonstration of novel vocal techniques. My challenge to myself was to write a piece with zero specific pitches or texts; previously, I had
experimented with such techniques only within the context of more “traditional” choral pieces, such as Pacem. As the piece began to take
shape, I realized that the addition of an appropriately spine-tingling text would complement the sound world which was emerging. The
Latin included in the piece is taken from a biblical story of demon possession. Asked for a name, the response is: “Our name is Legion, for we are many.” Although this piece may be performed with smaller choirs—perhaps even as few as eight or twelve—I imagine it becoming
increasingly effective (and impactful) with greater numbers, given the techniques employed. (A Roman legion consisted of about five
thousand men at the time of the story, for what it’s worth!)

Demon by Matthew Brown June 2, 2019

¡Ayúdame! (Venezuelan Plea for Life) by Carlos Cordero
World première performance by 
Inversion Ensemble Da Capo
July 13, 2019
Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, artistic director
Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon, Da Capo director
Adrienne Inglis, bombo

Text:
Mírame, [Look at me,]
Escúchame. [Listen to me.]
Estoy sufriendo. [I am suffering]
No puedo ver, [I cannot see,]
tengo hambre, [I am hungry,]
tengo sed, [I am thirsty,]
Estoy enfermo. [I am sick.]
¡Ayúdame! [Help me!]

When was the last time you were hungry and could not immediately eat? or thirsty and could not find water for hours? This is heartbreaking: to see my country, my family, suffering. I come from Venezuela and I did go through difficult times. Since I could not do much from where I was to help, I decided to fight my pain. I asked myself all the questions and cried while working on my desk, so comfortable yet feeling so guilty and helpless. When was the last time you were sick and could not find the medicine to feel better or even to keep living? — Carlos Cordero

¡Ayúdame! (Venezuelan Plea for Life) by Carlos Cordero, July 13, 2019

This Sky by Carlos Cordero
Performed by Inversion Ensemble
Aether: Air inspiration/wind
September 29, 2019
Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Dr. Joshua Chai, Guest Conductor

Text: Hafiz (1315-1390), translated by Daniel Ladinsky
This sky where we live
is no place to lose your wings.
So love, love, love.

Program note: This Sky is a short, high-spirited piece. I like to think that we are angels that came to earth to spread love and tell people to stop worrying and start enjoying more. This could be the piece you sing to someone who you feel needs to know how incredible and special they are, or maybe even to yourself, or your past self. It is my hope that the celebration, acceptance of oneself and willingness to share with others in this short piece will give the audience joy, and make them smile. Since moving to Houston, many people have helped me and showed me my own value. I wrote and dedicate this piece to Dr. Betsy Cook Weber, and my beloved Concert Chorale. The opportunity to have a world premiere by such an incredible choir at
the 28th Béla Bartók International Choral Competition was an honor. — Carlos Cordero

This Sky by Carlos Cordero September 29, 2019

Daemon by Joshua Chai 
performed by Inversion Ensemble
Heroes/Monsters: songs of legends & beasts
June 2, 2019
Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Rachel Davis, Guest Conductor

ΔAIMΩN, Dämon by Joshua Chai
Text: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
Wie an dem Tag, der dich der Welt verliehen 
[As on the day that you were given to the world]
Die Sonne stand zum Gruße der Planeten, 
[the sun stood to greet the planets,]
Bist alsobald und fort und fort gediehen 
[you instantly thrived and continued to do so]
Nach dem Gesetz, wonach du angetreten. 
[in accordance with the law by which you appeared.]
So mußt du sein, dir kannst du nicht entfliehen 
[So must you be, you cannot from yourself escape]
so sagten schon Sibyllen, so Propheten; 
[so has spoken already the Sibyls and Prophets,]
Und keine Zeit und keine Macht zerstückelt 
[and no passage of time or power can break into pieces]
Geprägte Form, die lebend sich entwickelt. 
[characteristic form, living in self-developing.]

“Daemon” is the first of five 8-line metrical rhymed poems in a collection Goethe titled “Urworte. Orphisch” (“Primal words. Orphic”). The other four poems are titled Chance, Love, Compulsion, and Hope. “Orphic” refers to Goethe’s study of Orphism, a blend of religion, philosophy, and literature ascribed to Orpheus, the poet of Greek mythology who descended to the underworld. The study of Greek mythology and classical sources, especially religious sources, was especially popular in 19th-century Germany Romanticism, and Goethe’s intense interest, evidenced by his copious comments in the published version of the poem, was an attempt to bring together a hermeneutic of classical mythology combined with a humanist and natural philosophy to give humanity a sense of greater purpose.
The “daemon” of the title is the fate of the individual. Just as there was a fixed alignment of stars when you were born, just as the sun’s
rising is inevitable, so you must follow the fate to which you were predestined. The natural, philosophical, and religious world (the sun, the Sibyls, and the Prophets) have pre-ordained your ultimate destiny. Goethe means this to be somewhat comforting (“daemon” doesn’t imply evil, necessarily), in that your ultimate purpose can’t be “broken into pieces,” but this is also a rather dark take on free will.
Musically, this is set in two ways. First, there’s a repeated pitch (D) which is common to the main mode of the piece (Phrygian) and to its
non-functional triadic shifts. No matter how far the harmony wants to stray from the center, it doesn’t. Second, a strict canon is presented
in first unison, then two, then four parts. It does not vary at all. It is written in four three-measure phrases, against an accompaniment
mostly in three four-bar phrases, and each canon phrase ends with a 2-measure hemiola, a common rhythmic device in triple meter music
(especially of the German Baroque) to establish finality. — Joshua Chai

ΔAIMΩN, Dämon by Joshua Chai June 2, 2019

I would rather die than hate you by Paul Ayers
I, Too, Sing America: songs of our shared history
October 7, 2018
Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Joshua Chai, Guest Conductor

Text: Martin Luther King Jr. (Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama, 17 November 1957)
... hate for hate only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe. If I hit you and you hit me and I hit you back and
you hit me back and go on, you see, that goes on ad infinitum. It just never ends. Somewhere somebody must have a little
sense, and that’s the strong person. The strong person is the person who can cut off the chain of hate, the chain of evil.
And that is the tragedy of hate, that it doesn’t cut it off. It only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe.
Somebody must have religion enough and morality enough to cut it off and inject within the very structure of the universe that
strong and powerful element of love.
... Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a descending spiral,
ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody.
Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And
you do that by love. ... So this morning, as I look into your eyes, and into the eyes of all of my brothers in Alabama and all
over America and over the world, I say to you, "I love you. I would rather die than hate you."

Note: For their 2017-2018 season, Mark Sumner and the University of California Berkeley Alumni Chorus commissioned a pair of pieces from me: "This life is not righteousness" (words by Martin Luther, to mark the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation (2017)) and "I would rather die than hate you" (words by Martin Luther King, to mark the 50th anniversary of his death (2018)). I spent a long time reading through the writings and sermons of both pastors, and greatly increased my hitherto rather patchy knowledge of both of their lives. One of the noticeable features of Martin Luther King’s words is their poetic, lilting rhythm: they have a spoken-out-loud quality, and when reading the text on the page, these words seem to enter the brain through the ear rather than through the eye. It was quite a humbling experience to set this inspiring message to
music. In my choral setting I have tried to retain a sense of pace, of conviction, and of joy. — Paul Ayres

I would rather die than hate you by Paul Ayres October 7, 2019

Inversion Ensemble
Aether: Fire - passion/psyche
March 1, 2020
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Clinton Bray, Guest Conductor
Austin Haller and Joshua Chai, piano

Fire Triptych by Joshua Chai
I. 
Parva saepe scintilla contempta [Often, the littlest neglected spark]
magnum excitavit incendium. [ignites a huge conflagration. ]
- anonymous Latin proverb 

II. 
Some say the world will end in fire, 
Some say in ice. 
From what I’ve tasted of desire 
I hold with those who favor fire. 
But if it had to perish twice, 
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
- Robert Frost

III.
Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love.
- Shakespeare (from Hamlet)

These three images of fire are about passion - romantic passion, the passion of hate, and what happens if you ignore them. The first movement is a series of "neglected sparks" that erupt into conflagrations, using a quick, rhythmic setting of a Latin proverb split up into motivic "cells" that are repeated and varied in each voice. The second movement is urgent and relentless, with a four-hand piano accompaniment providing the rhythmic impetus, picked up by the choir, and clear structural parallels between "desire"/"fire" and "hate"/"ice". The third movement is more similar to a chorale that finally explodes into an effusive polyphonic joy in love.

Fire Triptych by Joshua Chai

Inversion Ensemble
Aether: Fire - passion/psyche
March 1, 2020
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Clinton Bray, Guest Conductor
Austin Haller, piano

Black Hole Sun, arr. Paul Doust
Text: Chris Cornell

In my eyes, indisposed 
In disguises no one knows 
Hides the face, lies the snake 
The sun in my disgrace 
Boiling heat, summer stench 
'Neath the black the sky looks dead 
Call my name through the cream 
And I'll hear you scream again 
Black hole sun
Won't you come 
Won't you come 

Stuttering, cold and damp
Steal the warm wind tired friend
Times are gone for honest men
And sometimes far too long for snakes
In my shoes, a walking sleep
And my youth I pray to keep
Heaven sent hell away
No one sings like you anymore
Black hole sun 
Won't you come
And wash away the rain 
Black hole sun
Won't you come
Won't you come 

Black Hole Sun is part of a series of “choral reinventions” that ask the question: what if classic pop songs were re-imagined in an ethereal choral setting? How would our relationship to those songs change? What new meaning and beauty can we discover? The lyrics are simultaneously delicate and explosive, and so I wanted to highlight the volatility of the text in the arrangement. Thereʼs a real sense of anguish and melancholy that mirrorʼs Chris Cornellʼs personal struggles with mental illness. Itʼs raw and cathartic. Black Hole Sun is one of the first “reinventions” that I wrote and therefore holds a special place in my heart. In an unsettling coincidence I finished this piece just days before Chris Cornell of Soundgarden died. So this piece now feels like a retroactive eulogy to me.

Black Hole Sun arr. Paul Doust

Inversion Ensemble
Aether: Fire - passion/psyche
March 1, 2020
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Clinton Bray, Guest Conductor
Austin Haller, piano

Ceremonial Burning by Nico Alcala
Text: Nilo Alcala
I have fears to burn
Thoughts too ill to let pervade
I know a flame that quickens inside must purge these wraiths.
I fan this flame and it craves for more kindling.
This torch of courage burns them, nothing escapes.
And when the embers have died
There’s new light
From the ash.
Behold this blaze inside my heart.

In 2009 I first read the poem “An Autumn Burning” by Wendell Berry. The poet speaks of having pages of “words to burn: leaves of…wasted words”. The poem ends on a hopeful note, as it describes new “life beyond words”
springing forth from those burnt pages. I was taken with the imagery of the text and meditated on this poem for several days without thinking about how the music should sound. Eventually, I took the text, crossed out a huge chunk of words from it, and strung together a new poem, as if my own ritualistic burning of words. The resultant poem surprisingly retained the essence of the original which was for me a burning of the old, and a rebirth of something new. Not long after, I started to hear the music in my head, and in my imagination it was a mystical, ritualistic burning of these symbolic words.Years after, I tried to revisit the work and felt another ritualistic burning of words was needed. I totally discarded the excerpts from Berry’s poem and penned a new one. This purging now involved the burning or
letting go of fears. This time the speaker emerges and in possession of a newfound courage.

Ceremonial Burning by Nilo Alcala

Inversion Ensemble
Aether: Fire - passion/psyche
March 1, 2020
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Clinton Bray, Guest Conductor
Austin Haller, piano

The Heart Asks by Trevor Villwock
Text: Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
The Heart asks Pleasure – first – 
And then – Excuse from Pain – 
And then – those little Anodynes 
That deaden suffering – 
And then – to go to sleep –
And then – if it should be
The will of its Inquisitor
The liberty to die –

Upon reading this Emily Dickinson text for the first time, my mind was immediately drawn to the current opioid epidemic in the U.S., and then to the broader theme of addiction in all its manifestations. At many times our conscious thoughts, motivations, and actions are driven only by our base animal desires even if we tell ourselves another story. In my piece I tried to capture our fraught relationship with our reptilian brain and the way this relationship intersects with a modern world where quick satisfaction is a very easy thing to find.

The Heart Asks by Trevor Villwock

Inversion Ensemble
Aether: Fire - passion/psyche
March 1, 2020
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Clinton Bray, Guest Conductor
Austin Haller, piano

The Inferno by Robbie LaBanca
Text: Dan Hoeweler from The Schizophrenic Writer

Electric waves 
Passing through my brain 
In a haphazard fashion 
Turbulent and inconsistent 
My neurons exploding 
Like firecrackers in the night 
From this blight 
Popping 
And out of sight 
My prefrontal cortex 
Burns
While my eardrums sizzle
And smoke
Suffocates my consciousness
Flames engulf and
Incinerate
My cerebrum
               Till it becomes
Embers in the night sky
Thousands of glowing
Smiles of freedom

Dan Hoeweler's text is a vivid, personal description of a psychotic episode as a result of schizophrenia. As a way of preparing to set this text, I did research into some of the symptoms of schizophrenia and came across the concept of 'disorganized thinking/speech'. Disorganized thinking is inferred from disorganized speech. Effective communication can be impaired, and answers to questions may be partially or completely unrelated. I decided to explore this feature by aligning this serious text with music that, at times, does not match the weight of the subject matter. Over the course of this piece I pair this text with various music styles including, Verdi-esque opera chorus,
Peggy Lee inspired Jazz, a quotation of a Bach chorale and more. The piece also begins and ends with an electronic track utilizing disembodied voices to reflect both an internal monologue and another feature of schizophrenia -auditory hallucinations. For too long we have silently maintained the stigma of mental illness in our society and by giving voice and music to this text I hope to do my small part to help end that stigma. 

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects less than one percent of the U.S. population. When schizophrenia is active, symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, trouble with thinking and concentration, and lack of motivation. However, with treatment, most symptoms of schizophrenia will greatly improve. While there is no cure for schizophrenia, research is leading to new, safer treatments.
Experts also are unraveling the causes of the disease by studying genetics, conducting behavioral research, and using advanced imaging to look at the brain’s structure and function. These approaches hold the promise of new, more effective therapies. The complexity of schizophrenia may help explain why there are misconceptions about the disease. Schizophrenia does not mean split personality or multiple-personality. Most people with schizophrenia are not dangerous or violent. They also are not homeless nor do they live in hospitals. Most people with schizophrenia live with family, in group homes or on their own. Research has shown that schizophrenia affects men and
women about equally but may have an earlier onset in males.. — American Psychiatric Association

The Inferno by Robbie LaBanca

Inversion Ensemble
Aether: Fire - passion/psyche
March 1, 2020
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Clinton Bray, Guest Conductor
Austin Haller, piano

your little voice by Anuj Bhutani
Text: E.E. Cummings
your little voice
         Over the wires came leaping
and i felt suddenly
dizzy
         With the jostling and shouting of merry flowers
wee skipping high-heeled flames
courtesied before my eyes
                        or twinkling over to my side
Looked up
with impertinently exquisite faces
floating hands were laid upon me
I was whirled and tossed into delicious dancing
up
Up
with the pale important
                            stars and the Humorous
                                                        moon
dear girl
How i was crazy how i cried when i heard
                                         over time
and tide and death
leaping
Sweetly
              your voice

My younger brother and I have often heard the story of how my parents immigrated here in the 1980s while in their early 20s. My mother had to wait for her visa for two years, so my father came first with no money, and no immediate job prospects. He worked minimum-wage jobs to make ends meet despite having completed medical school in India. 

Of course at that time, they didn’t have the internet, Skype, or cell phones. My parents wrote letters that would arrive three weeks later. One day my father scraped together every penny he had to call my mother from a phonebooth in the freezing snow. The cost for an international call was $17 for the 1st minute, and $3 for every additional minute. 

He had exactly $20. Two minutes. 

He called the medical dormitory in India where my mother lived. Someone in the common room answered the phone, and my father asked her to hurry and get my mother. My mother ran to the phone and asked “Sonu, is that you?” He said “yes”, and the line went dead. Please insert $3 to continue. Two minutes were up. That was the first time they had gotten to hear each other’s voice since my father moved to America several months earlier.

On February 20, 2020, my parents celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary. This is for them.

your little voice by Anuj Bhutani

Inversion Ensemble
Aether: Fire - passion/psyche
March 1, 2020
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Clinton Bray, Guest Conductor
Austin Haller, piano

My Brilliant Image by Jasper Sussman
Text: from "I Heard God Laughing: Renderings of Hafiz" by Daniel Ladinsky
One day the sun admitted,
I am just a shadow.
I wish I could show you
The Infinite Incandescence
That has cast my brilliant image!
I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The astonishing Light
Of your own Being!

In my youth, I would settle down behind the piano anytime I was overwhelmed with emotion. I’d write mainly songs — I found the process of pairing words with music cathartic, allowing me to find resolution and understanding. This same experience occurred for me when I set Daniel Ladinsky’s translation of Hafiz’s “My Brilliant Image” to music. I had just gotten out of my most significant relationship to date, and it seemed that everything in my life was cast in shadow. Ladinksy’s words became a sort of mantra for me. They reminded me that even in darkness, I am surrounded by light. Even in our worst moments, we’re made of beauty. And even when we cannot see it, our worth is unmistakably clear.

My Brilliant Image by Jasper Sussman

Inversion Ensemble
Aether: Fire - passion/psyche
March 1, 2020
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Clinton Bray, Guest Conductor
Austin Haller, piano
World première performance

Fireflies by Adrienne Inglis (ASCAP)
Text: Margaret Noodin
Waawaatesiwag [Fireflies]
Aaniin ezhi-pogozid dibikigiizis?[How does one taste the moon?]
Aaniin ezhi-pogwad waasamowin? [What is the weight of wind?]
Aaniin ezhichigeyaamba [How can I understand]
ji-nisidostawaag waawaatesiwag? [the fireflies?]
Nimbagamaashi ina giizhigong [Sail kisses to heaven]
gemaa bimaakogomoyaan ode’agaming? [or row to a heart’s shore?]
Waa ninzaka’amawdiz ganabaj [Perhaps I will set myself alight]
atooyaan ishkodensan ishpiming [place the flames in the sky]
anangziibikeyaan dibikong [make a night river of light]
miidash bizaani-ayaayaan [then become as quiet as]
dibishkoo baashkaabigwan-ininiwizh. [a milkweed blossom.]

Commissioned by Inversion Ensemble for its Aether: Fire concert in the winter of 2020, Fireflies (2019) for mixed chorus, piano, and optional percussion evokes vivid imagery of Margaret Noodin’s bilingual poem Fireflies from her 2015 book, Weweni, poems in Anishinaabemowin and English. Honoring the composer’s Ojibwe ancestors, the piece sets the poem’s English text including the Anishinaabemowin word for fireflies (Waawaatesiwag). Moments of musical and whispered aleatory capture visions of fireflies on a summer night. Colorful augmented sixth chords and lush harmonies kindle visions of love and nature amidst the dreamy mixolydian modality and lilting ¾ time. The text used by permission is Fireflies by Margaret Noodin from her book, Weweni, poems in Anishinaabemowin and English, Wayne State University Press, Detroit.

Fireflies by Adrienne Inglis (ASCAP)

Inversion Ensemble
Aether: Fire - passion/psyche
March 1, 2020
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas
Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director / Clinton Bray, Guest Conductor
Austin Haller, piano

Tulesonad And Jannilau by Veljo Tormis

Announcing Inversion Ensemble our first virtual collaborative choral project! Singers from all over the country have shared their voices with us, making this a truly special project. In a time when we cannot gather with our ensembles in person, this helps us stay engaged with the greater musical community, to keep people singing during the quarantine, and to make sure that new music is still being created and shared. Thanks to everyone for sharing your voices with us and to you for listening!

"Asleep in a Blanket Spun of Energy" for mixed chorus and electronic track
music by Adrienne Inglis (ASCAP)
electronic track by Trevor F. Shaw (ASCAP)
poem "We Are Returning Always" by Margaret Noodin from "Weweni, poems in Anishinaabemowin and English"

recorded remotely by Inversion Ensemble and friends: 
Adrienne Inglis—Texas
Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon—Texas
Alison Mingle
Alissa Floyd—Texas
Andrew Frerichs—Texas
Angela Irving—Texas
Anthony Gimino—Florida
Brad Fanta—Texas
Brian Mountford—New York
Carol Brown—Texas
Christina Sullins
Daniel Robertson—Texas
Deirdre Spainhour—Texas
Diane Skeel—Texas
Eva Hawker—Texas
Henry Jones III—Texas
Jennifer Inglis Hudson—Texas
Juli Orlandini—Texas
Katie Sakanai—Colorado
Lena Hill—Texas
Mandi Sadler—Texas
Maureen Popovich—Texas
Stephanie Andrews—Texas
Trevor Shaw—Texas
Trevor Villwock—Texas
Wravan Godsoe—Texas

Images in order of appearance:
Full Moon Illustration by Juhasz Imre
Crab Nebula [pxshere.com] 
Aurora borealis [wikimedia]
Comet Neowise photo by Emilio Torres taken 17 July 2020 central Texas hill country
Supernova 1987A [NASA]
Black Hole [EHT Collaboration]
Sunrise photo by Adrienne Inglis taken 1 Jan 2020 central Texas hill country
Trees and Snow with Black-capped Chickadee photo by Adrienne Inglis Dec 2017 Park City, Utah
Trees and Snow with Black-billed Magpie photo by Adrienne Inglis Dec 2017 Park City, Utah
Ojibwe blanket belonging to Adrienne Inglis, family heirloom from her Ojibwe ancestors
Comet Neowise photo by Emilio Torres taken 20 Jul 2020 central Texas hill country

Video editing by Adrienne Inglis

Program note: Composed for Inversion Ensemble’s March 2019 Dream Keeper concert, "Asleep in a Blanket Spun of Energy" for mixed chorus and electronic track evokes vivid imagery of Margaret Noodin’s poem "We Are Returning Always." Honoring the composer’s Ojibwe ancestors, the piece sets all of the English text and a few key words of the Anishinaabemowin text from the bilingual poem that beautifully captures a glimpse into the natural and celestial wonders of the Ojibwe world. The music reflects a taste of the syncopated embellished singing, pentatonic melodies, and steady drumbeat characteristic of Ojibwe music. The electronic track provides both a compelling rhythmic foundation and a fantastical sonic representations of the moon, nebulae, supernovae, aurora borealis, and the forests of the Ojibwe lands.

In addition to being the director of EQI, Margaret Noodin is an Assistant Professor in the English Department and American Indian Studies. She is a poet and the author of "Bawaajimo: A Dialect of Dreams in Anishinaabe Language and Literature" (2014) and "Weweni: Poems in Anishinaabemowin and English" (2015). She teaches the Anishinaabemowin language at UWM. Margaret is the editor of ojibwe.net. Noodin holds an MFA in Creative Writing and a PhD in English and Linguistics, both received at the University of Minnesota. Her doctoral dissertation is titled Native American Literature in tribal context: Anishinaabe Aadisokaanag Noongom (2001)

Inversion Ensemble
Austin, Texas
http://inversionensemble.com

Asleep in a Blanket Spun of Energy by Adrienne Inglis and Trevor F. Shaw

Inversion is a collection of vocal ensembles dedicated to commissioning and performing timely new works by living composers. Inversion presents themed concerts on myriad topics, including LGBTQIA+ rights, racial justice, immigration, climate change, and democratic rights as well as space exploration, philosophy, natural science, and the ancient elements. Inversion advocates for inclusion through outreach with local public schools, college partners, and annual emerging composer contests.

Inversion Ensemble

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