Program
"Spring" and "Summer" from Season's Song — Michael Young *
Silver Songs — Anna Brake *
No Matter How I Go (Epitaph for Carrie Fisher) — Michelle McQuade Dewhirst
"Fall" and "Winter" from Season's Song — Michael Young *
~ Audience Q & A ~
Aria — John Cage
Epilogue — Jessica Rudman
when you touch — Alan Theisen *
From All Of Our Love This Was Lost — Nick Zoulek
* composed for MIATp
Jessica Rudman’s Epilogue (featured in This World of Yes)
Statement
This World of Yes explores the dualities experienced during a lifetime – that every sensation necessitates its opposite and that affirming one path means denying another. Of the fourteen songs contained in the program, ten were composed specifically for our ensemble. Michael Young’s Season’s Song offers a tender, contemporary take on a familiar subject. Anna Brake’s Silver Songs each include an engaging audience participation element as they consider finding solace in stressful situations. No Matter How I Go by Michelle McQuade Dewhirst is a miniature on a gallows-humor witticism by the late Carrie Fisher. Jessica Rudman’s Epilogue and John Cage’s Aria both investigate the (de)construction of language. when you touch, by duo member Alan Theisen, sets erotic poems by e e cummings through a combination of latin jazz, twelve-tone melodies, blues, vocal sounds, and performance art; this is paired with Nick Zoulek’s heart wrenching vocalise, From All Of Our Love This Was Lost.
Basic tech requirements: None
Content warning: erotic metaphors
“In more than four decades as a professional musician, I have never encountered a more powerful and more deeply human program than This World of Yes by Alan Theisen and Megan Ihnen. They are performers of extraordinary ability and communicators nonpareil. I recommend them without hesitation to anyone who wants a fresh look at what it means to be artists in the 21st century. They possess a rare ability to connect directly with the audience with integrity, humor, and great charm. I can say without question that you will not be the same after listening to them.”
“Megan Ihnen and Alan Theisen demonstrate synergy and a deep musicality together... it was difficult to differentiate where the voice began and the sax ended - they played as one instrument, breathing in and out of one another’s phrases... These two have a lot of music to share together...”
“This World of Yes was one of the most successful chamber music programs our school has hosted. The creative and diverse programming was exciting in itself, but made truly special by Ihnen’s and Theisen’s fluency in navigating different styles, and by their commitment to engaging the audience in their musical ideas.”
“This World of Yes is a captivatingly visceral experience. From the first note to the last, Megan Ihnen and Alan Theisen suspend time and transport their audiences into a new enrapturing world. Ihnen uses a phenomenal spectrum of vocal colors portraying her profound command and understanding of the voice. Complimented by Theisen’s dexterity on the saxophone, this program is masterfully performed, artfully crafted, and full of YES!”
“An unimaginable combination of sounds. Megan Ihnen and Alan Theisen make audiences feel right at home in This World of Yes through engaging dialogue and a performance of outstanding variety and impeccable musicianship. It is truly a performance that must be seen to be believed.”