Spark+Echo Arts: Music

Just something I cooked up for Christmas before going to bed. Goodnight.

Der Voghormya

Joanna Dane interviews Matt Turner on his latest album, a collection of solo cello improvisations.  

Matt Turner On Virion Impasto

"I'm Small" is from a song cycle, "Cities", personifying biblical cities. It is sung from the point of view of Bethlehem, specifically inspired by the passage in Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

The bulk of this song was written a few years ago before my wife Emily and I had kids, imagining a small Bethlehem embracing this news, but it didn't come into focus until jamming with my then 20-month old Walter. I guess it takes playing with someone small to finish a song about smallness.

Jonathon Roberts: vocals, piano, drum programming 
Emily Clare Zempel: vocals
Ariana Rosen: violin
Kevin Gosa: soprano and alto saxophones, backing vocals
Meaghan Burke: cello, backing vocals
James Hall: Trombone, backing vocals
Walter Roberts: backing vocals

Music, lyrics, and production by Jonathon Roberts

Buy on Bandcamp

I'm Small

Christina Hanson's dramatic compositional piece uses a woodwind quintet to explore the story of Paul's conversion found in Acts 9:1-9, 17-22 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT

The story of Saul’s conversion in Acts 9 is a staple in most Christian households. Oftentimes believers miss the truly dramatic nature of the story. Saul “breathes murderous threats” to the believers, sees a vision only he can see that tells him to change the trajectory of his entire life, and ends up preaching to the world the very thing he persecuted so fiercely. In "Damascus Catalyst," I let the text inspire the musical shape of the piece, beginning with the formation of Saul’s “murderous threats”, following his transformative journey on the road to Damascus, and ending with his proclamation of the Gospel.

This piece uses some contemporary compositional idioms but injects them into styles that are familiar to many, especially the style of hymns. I was inspired in part by two hymns, which can be heard fragmented throughout this piece: "Jesus Christ is Lord Today" (an obscure hymn tune I have only found in one hymnal but evertheless fell in love with) and "Christ be our Light" (a more modern Catholic hymn tune). By using these fragments as a backbone for the whole piece, Saul clearly appears as a character that transforms as the thematic material transforms.

The style of the piece is somewhat derived from musical theatre, using dramatic tension to tell a story. To this end, I was inspired by the versatility of the woodwind quintet—its ability to be as quiet as a small wisp of a thought, be as frightening as an unexpected vision, and to capture the jubilant cries of a recent believer as he proclaims his newfound beliefs. Loosely, Saul’s character is “played” by the horn, and you can hear his thought process rattling around in his head throughout the piece. By following the thread of the story from the beginning of Damascus Catalyst to the end, the listener can experience this vignette of Saul’s life—God’s presence, as a catalyst on the road to Damascus, transforming Saul from ruthless tyrant to relentless advocate of the Gospel.


ARTIST BIO

Christina Lauren Hanson is a composer, music educator, pianist, violinist, student, accompanist, and entrepreneur based in Appleton, Wisconsin. She is currently a candidate for the Bachelor of Music degree in Composition at Lawrence University in Appleton and has studied under Joanne Metcalf, Asha Srinivasan, and Lawton Hall. Her compositional career began in at a very young age, and since then she has written pieces for a wide variety of instruments including piano, strings, and woodwinds. As she studies composition, she finds myriads of ways to showcase God’s beauty through the medium of music—a medium that has been used to worship God since the beginning of time!

Christina frequently performs with her string trio, The III of Us, and lends her talents as an accompanist, pianist, violinist, and leader for choirs and worship teams in the Fox Valley (including for Bended Knee Ministries and Lawrence Christian Fellowship). Currently, by teaching piano, violin, and music theory, writing music for commissions, using her entrepreneurial skills, and trusting God’s guidance, she is putting herself through college so she can further hone her compositional craft to glorify the Creator. In the future, she plans to keep exploring music as a channel to reach others for Christ not just through composition but also through teaching and performing.

When Christina is not doing any of the above, she enjoys the company of her many friends and comrades, taking care of plants on her family’s apple orchard (she has thriving succulent and vegetable gardens), drinking coffee and tea, reading, improvising on her grand piano, listening to Christian radio drama, swing dancing, and volunteering in the children’s ministry at her church.

Damascus Catalyst

Damascus Catalyst - Christina Hanson

Actor and sound designer Matt Bittner presents an intriguing musical exploration of the meal Zacchaeus shared with Jesus, and the change it had upon his life. This work is in response to the theme of “meals” and was inspired by Luke 19:1-10 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
When I first began to think about this project, I was attempting to view modern day meal experiences through a biblical lens. For example, a question I asked myself early on: “How can I somehow extract the beauty of the gospel (or the trinity, or Love) through the picture of a shared meal?” Then I thought of a small portion of a sermon I had heard during Lent. The speaker, as part of a larger theme, briefly examined the significance of Jesus sharing meals with people. He spoke of the act not as some spiritual gesture (or as a physical gesture wherein the spiritual world was magically accessed) but as the real life, every day, human event of sitting down to talk and eat. That event is necessary. So, I imagine, because Jesus knew this, much of his time of uplifting, teaching, nurturing, and redeeming was spent sitting down to talk and eat with people. After all, when we eat, we truly rid ourselves of all pretense of being anything other than simple humans with needs. And only then (it seems) can we begin to practice the world-toppling exercise of seeing others as simple humans with needs too.
 
I then reinvested in the project with a different approach: to find a biblical example of a shared meal as it ought to be. Suddenly the story of Zaccheus, which I’d known seemingly forever, took on a new meaning. There is an embittered, unloved outcast working selfishly to fortify himself against a world of which he is so wholly terrified and with which he is so wholly angry. He hears tell of a man that selflessly gives himself to a world with which he is so wholly in love and by which he is so highly esteemed. The outcast pushes himself to his physical limits just to catch a glimpse of what it must be like to truly live in communion with others. When Jesus spots the lost soul alone in a tree, he calls him down. Not to offer a sermon, not to lay hands on him, but to ask if Zaccheus would like to experience true community through hosting a group of people and eating with them. (I understand that the text does not clearly state that food was part of the deal, but culturally it would have been implied.) Zaccheus finally experiences the wonderfully simple reality of communion. The result? He does not suddenly have friends thronging to his house. Nor does he begin to preach. He doesn’t even leave his home to follow Jesus as so many did at the time. He instead subverts a lifetime of fear with a brave leap into generosity. He begins a new life of love and community.
 
This is the story I hope to have captured with this song.

ARTIST BIO:
Matt Bittner is an actor and sound designer based out of Ridgewood, Queens. He has composed original music and designed sound for collegiate, regional, and NYC theatrical projects. He holds an MFA in acting from Rutgers University and his musical education comes primarily from church and participating in choral groups in school. He is currently performing in Much Ado About Nothing — the first of this year’s Free Shakespeare in the Park productions.

Fellowship, Food, and Redemption

Fellowship, Food, and Redemption - Matt Bittner

Banjo player Cameron DeWhitt joins us for a look at yeast in his new piece Leavener. The work is in response to the theme of “meals” and 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch–as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Recently I made the switch from commercial yeast (like, from the packet) to wild Philadelphia yeast. And boy, it’s sure made a big difference in my bread. I got my sourdough starter from my neighbors, who got theirs from a friend, so I like to think that all of our loaves and boules and baguettes are related.
I had a conversation with my good friend Jon Roberts about baking sourdough and maintaining a starter. Apparently some starters are very fragile; the yeast inside will die if they have any competition for the available sugars. He used to work at Sullivan Street bakery in Hell’s Kitchen, and when he’d try to bring home a lump of starter it would start producing acetic acid before he could use it. Once removed from its sheltered existence in one of America’s finest bakeries, it couldn’t handle the pressure of the real world, and allowed itself to be eaten up and turned to vinegar.
So, I’m proud to eat bread with the hearty and worldly yeasts of Kensington, Philadelphia. It’s yeast is like it’s people: determined to survive, willing to fight, and not deterred by a little pollution or systematic oppression. This is how the Kingdom of Heaven is spread. It’s a resilient culture, and it’s all around us, waiting to be fed.
If your culture is eating itself, and getting sour in all the wrong ways, throw it out, and start a new one. Maybe you need something a little less fragile, a little less pretentious. A culture that won’t disintegrate at the first sign of stress.  Chances are, you know someone who can help get you started.

Special thanks to Christian Guerrero for mixing this song. 

ARTIST BIO:

Cameron DeWhitt is an American clawhammer banjoist and songwriter born in Portland, Oregon. His live show is interactive, with sing-along sections, open discussions about song themes, and storytelling. His self-titled record is available on Bandcamp.

Cameron’s songs explore themes of love, death, marriage, judgment and forgiveness. His lyrics display a quick, profound wit, enriched throughout with weighty metaphors and literary cross-references. Through personal and biblical stories, he prompts the listener to contemplate the definition of love, the character of God, and the human struggle towards hope and redemption.

Cameron has developed a unique, melody-driven banjo style. While fluidly shifting modes and meters, he quotes popular melodies, improvises with other musicians, and makes musical jokes. His songs feature trumpet, string bass, drum set, complex vocal counterpoint and improvised solos.

Cameron lives with his wife, Rebecca, in the East Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, where he is a part of the Circle of Hope Community. He plays an Ome Jubilee banjo with a Moon bridge and a John Balch goat skin head.

Leavener

Leavener - Cameron DeWhitt

We are thrilled to welcome the band, Lowland Hum, to Spark and Echo Arts with a new song in response to the theme of poverty and 1 John 1:5; 2:4, 9-11 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“The Father” was written on a day off during our first cross country tour. As we read through the scripture in 1 John, a few ideas struck and inspired us. The passage dramatically draws attention to the disparity between our identity as children of God and the way we treat one another. The subject that we were assigned by Spark and Echo was “poverty” and as we read the scripture we recognized our own poverty in a profound way. How can you say you love the father if you hate your brother who is made in His image? It is so easy for us to take a self-protective stance, putting others down, even if its just in our minds, to escape our own darkness and inadequacy. The story of this song is written in hopes of drawing attention to the lack inherent in our love for one another, especially in our families. At the end of the song, we hope to refocus on the freeing and glorious character of God, our only way toward wholeness. In the contrary way of Jesus, we aim to tear our eyes from our inadequacy and to dwell on His goodness and overabundance. In this act we are on the path toward healing, change and we are given the strength to love. In our poverty, He is rich.

ARTIST BIO:

Lowland Hum is Daniel Levi and Lauren (Plank) Goans. Hailing from Greensboro, North Carolina, the duo met in 2010. They married in 2012 and spent their first year of marriage touring the East Coast. During this time they began writing the songs that would become their first album, Native Air.

Since releasing Native Air in August 2013, Lowland Hum has performed for 70 audiences in 13 states. Combining Daniel’s musicianship and Lauren’s inclinations in visual art, Lowland Hum’s shows are a multi-sensory experience, engaging sight, sound, smell, and touch–inviting listeners to be fully present and reducing the space between artist and listener. During performances, Lowland Hum readily shares the stories behind their songs and invites listeners to offer real-time reflections.

Lowland Hum tours full time, playing house shows, listening rooms, colleges and universities, and other spaces conducive to an intimate listening experience.

The Father

The Father - Lowland Hum

Musician Aaron Kruziki brings us this beautiful and intricate song in response to the theme of “lies” and Ephesians 4:25 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“When We Lie” is a piece based on Ephesians 4:25: “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” Because we are all part of one body, we are part of one another. Humans are all part of a collective consciousness that bends and folds, opens and closes, much the same as a lotus flower. As a lotus flower opens at dawn, it’s neighbor  opens as well. At dusk, when the flower starts to close, it’s neighbor follows suit. Much in this manner,  humans open and close, often simultaneously with our neighbors, friends, lovers and strangers. When we close off, we don’t see others closing, and often assume we’re the only ones that are closing. This closing is the lie. This lie, whether it comes from family, friends, or ourselves, is this act of closing. We  are dishonest and go about our lives in a state of denial, making these lies sound true and be true. With  this new false-truth, we start to close, often not realizing how the lie affects those around us. When we  face the righteous truth within us, we start to open, and often find others open around us. Like the lotus flower opening with the sun and closing with the moon, we are all connected. The lies we tell neighbors and ourselves connect us, just as the inner-truth connects us. We have to make a choice: to choose the inner truth or the false-truth. We make the choice to either face our demons or to avoid them.

ARTIST BIO:

Wisconsin born and bred, Aaron Kruziki is a dynamic musician and composer, educator and producer.  Residing in New York City, Aaron’s training in jazz and classical music, his inherent ability to find good in all music (from David Bowie to American Barbershop), and his belief that every person may reinvent themselves to find happiness, sustains his artistic output.  As a saxophonist and clarinetist, Aaron has received consecutive degrees in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory and Western Michigan University, studying with George Garzone and Trent Kynaston respectively.  Aaron has received grants that include the Emerging Artist Grant from the Greater Kalamazoo Art’s Council, and in 2012, was commissioned by the Chelsea Music Festival to compose music based on John Cage’s “Lectures on Nothing”.  Aaron frequently performs with Andy Milne’s “Dapp Theory”, and is an active member of the Brooklyn D.I.Y. scene.  His voice moves fluidly from woodwinds to synths and vocals, performing in genres ranging from avant-pop to education reform rock and jazz.  Aaron has had the honor to perform at major music festivals in Canada, Europe, Africa and America.  In his spare time, Aaron likes to garden and practice yoga.

When We Lie

When We Lie - Aaron Kruziki

Vitallion III
Steve Cartwright and Mick Smith

Living Off The Lump

Flower Seller -

Composer and vocalist Jessie Downs combined the texts of Psalm 29:3-4; 31:9-10; 81:3 as a “libretto” to produce her work, which is written in the form of an operatic scene for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project.

"The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is majestic."                                     (Psalm 29:3-4)
 
"Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
    my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
    my soul and body with grief.
My life is consumed by anguish
    and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
    and my bones grow weak."                                               (Psalm 31:9-10)
 
"Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
    and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;"       (Psalm 81:3)

Lamentations

Lamentations - Jessie Downs

This simple song emerged from an informal workshop at All Angels' Church's 2018 parish retreat. I penned a few verses in response to a comment made by someone on the retreat, and this is the treatment that developed when I picked up a guitar and began to sing.

Draw Near To God (2018 AAC Parish Retreat)

This track is from the album Estelle's Farewell Gift and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/benjedaneman

To Lay Down One's Life

Loved So Much

Spark and Echo Arts is creating or commissioning a work of art, music, theatre, poetry, dance, or film in response to every verse of the Bible.

Damascus Catalyst - Christina Hanson

Spark and Echo Arts

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