By and By

I. Will there be any stars in my crown?
II. Angel Band
III. O Death
IV. I'll Fly Away

Lucy Dhegrae, voice
Ruxandra Marquardt & Megan Holland, violins
David Felberg, viola
James Holland, cello

By And By - Caroline Shaw -  Chatter ABQ

Smoke and Distance (2013)
Composer: Tonia Ko
Nathaniel LaNasa, piano
Lucy Dhegrae, voice

Recorded at Princeton University, May 2018

"In "Smoke and Distance", two separate texts by Lowell and Aldington are joined together, united by images of the night, the color blue, and an intense reflection on a past love. The "fireworks" that are alluded to in the opening vocal monologue refer to both the literal spectacle the metaphorical type occurring between two lovers. However, these sparks remain only in the narrator's memory. 

In setting these poignant texts, I chose to emphasize their intimate qualities. The piano part deviates from its traditional accompaniment role and is instead intertwined closely with the vocal line. In addition to echoing the voice, the pianist is also called upon to create its own resonance inside the instrument. This resonance– a sonic memory– extends the poetic recollection described in the texts.The dramatic climax of the piece occurs when the vivid images collide. It produces a realization that although despite the distance of time, the narrator's love has not completely disappeared and is simply renewed." —Tonia Ko

Smoke and Distance
First text: Amy Lowell, from Pyrotechnics Second text: Richard Aldington, from Images

Our meeting was like the upward swish of a rocket
In the blue night.
I do not know when it burst;
But now I stand gaping,
In a glory of falling stars.
	
The blue smoke leaps 
Like swirling clouds of birds vanishing.
So my love leaps forth toward you,
Vanishes and is renewed.

Smoke And Distance - Tonia Ko

rehearsal with Casey Grev, soprano saxophone

Un Lieu Verdoyant - Philippe Leroux

with Nina Ferrigno, piano

Deux Mélodies Herbraïques
Maurice Ravel 
1. Kaddisch
2. L'engima éternelle 

Gesher Music Festival 2019
St. Louis, MO

Maurice Ravel - Deux Mélodies Herbraïques - Gesher 2019

Cosmia, by Joanna Newsom
Arranged by Dylan Mattingly
performed with Contemporaneous
live, May 2019
Littlefield, Brooklyn

Lucy Dhegrae

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