Tyshawn Sorey: Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine (2016)

Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine, heralded as “one of the most important works of art yet to emerge from the era of Black Lives Matter” (New York Times), explores the life of Joséphine Baker (1906-1975) through her iconic songs as re-composed by Sorey and sung by world renowned classical singer and activist Julia Bullock. Bullock notes, “Together we share words, movement, and music that further examine and highlight various undercurrents of Joséphine Baker’s life. Loosening the grip and gloss on her tunes and her story, I hope I have enabled us to share a personal portrait that is not so much about her, but for her.” Premiered at the Ojai Music Festival in June 2016, the work has evolved over the last five years with performances at Stony Island Arts Bank, Da Camera Houston, Lincoln Center, the MET, and Oberon (Harvard University). Tyshawn’s score, which obliterates the boundaries between formal and spontaneous composition, alludes to the racial struggles of both Baker’s time and our own. “I identified more with Baker as a figure of the civil rights movement, with the lyrical and emotional content. I wanted to recompose the music so that it would match that,” says Sorey in a New York Times interview in August 2016. Bullock adds, “hearing her [Baker] sing ‘Si J’Étais Blanche’ [‘If I Were White’] in 1925 is just as relevant as singing it now.”

Classical singer Julia Bullock is recognized as an “impressive, fast-rising [classical singer]... poised for a significant career” (The New York Times) and has captivated and inspired audiences through her versatile artistry, probing intellect, and commanding stage presence. A 2017 MacArthur Fellow, multi-instrumentalist and composer Tyshawn Sorey is celebrated for his incomparable virtuosity, effortless mastery, and an extraordinary ability to blend composition and improvisation in his work. The Wall Street Journal notes Sorey is, “a composer of radical and seemingly boundless ideas.” Claudia Rankine is a poet, playwright, and the editor of several anthologies. A 2016 MacArthur Fellow, “Rankine’s voice shimmers with wisdom and fury” (The Telegraph) as she blends genres and explores the subject matter of race and the imagination.