"Darkness" from Beyond by Trevor F. Shaw
performed by Inversion Ensemble
Trevor F. Shaw, artistic director
October 1, 2017
Pflugerville, Texas

"Beyond" is a tribute to three of my favorite astrophysicists, Carolyn Porco, Amy Mainzer, and the late Vera Rubin. While I’ve directly set their respective words to music, my primary objective was to capture each woman’s noted individual scientific focus. I didn’t initially
intend to exclusively quote female scientists, but once I realized I had done so, I added the work title, Beyond . The name conveys not only the obvious notion of space travel, but it is a token of my reverence for the many women who went “beyond” societal barriers to make
space exploration possible.

Vera Rubin ( Darkness ) is famous for her work concerning the existence and properties of dark matter, a substance which is both invisible and abundant. The mechanical repetition of the melodic line, simply based on the natural minor scale, is followed by light,
conversational rhythms over Major harmonies. Rubin’s way of explaining mysterious, seemingly incomprehensible theories about an insidious invisible force to the general public was delightfully matter-of-fact and that, to me, was exceptionally appealing.

"Darkness" from Beyond by Trevor F. Shaw October 1, 2017

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.