“Never before has an American symphony orchestra given the homeless equal billing with Charles Ives and Ludwig van Beethoven,” writes Jason Victor Serinus in Sunday’s (1/29) Seattle Times. “But this week, homelessness takes center stage in Benaroya Hall during a performance of Ives’ ‘New England Holidays,’ as part of a Seattle Symphony initiative that aims to build connections with the community. During a performance of ‘New England Holidays’ … audiences will view intensely personal visual responses to the music that were created by clients of four nonprofits serving the homeless.… Claudia Castro Luna, Seattle’s Civic Poet, will preface each movement of Ives’ ‘American Four Seasons’ with a poem written after observing and interacting with those who created the art.… The Ives project is a response to Seattle’s State of Emergency Declaration on Homelessness, issued on Nov. 2, 2015. Part of the symphony’s Simple Gifts Initiative, which supports people who are either homeless or in transitional housing, its roots lie in Seattle Symphony’s ‘Community Connections’ programs, which Simon Woods, symphony president and CEO, established.… ‘When the mayor and county executive declared a state of emergency on homelessness, we began thinking about what the arts could contribute,’ Woods explained.”
Posted January 31, 2017
