World Premiere Dance Commission
Darius Milhaud, La Creation du Monde
Milhaud was part of “Les Six,” a group of six young French composers who shared a reaction to stylistic conventions of their day, and sought clarity, wit, and modernity in their music. Several of them were active in the French resistance under Nazi occupation, and our program features songs in which they and others dared to set eloquent poetic words of protest by banned authors like Louis Aragon and Paul Élouard.
Few artists have fused art and activism as powerfully as Josephine Baker, the legendary singer and dancer who escaped racism in America to become an icon of resistance and freedom in France. We feature chanteuse Jacqueline Tabor in a medley of songs that Baker made famous – songs of love, liberty and an unshakable spirit.
Featuring:
Spectrum Dance Theater
2025 David Tonkonogui Memorial Award recipient:
Tom Wang, clarinet
Music of Remembrance Ensemble:
Laura DeLuca, clarinet; Mikhail Shmidt, violin; Elisa Barston, violin;
Susan Gulkis Assadi, viola; Walter Gray, cello; Cristina Valdes, piano