December Update
The Music Newsletter

Throughout the ages, music and dance have had a powerful synergy, each becoming more as a result of the partnership. Having been both a singer and a dancer, I experienced that deep expansion. This past summer, I watched and listened as ensemble members reached towards one another, past their immediate concerns, to create something they could not do alone. We came away with a clear feeling of reverence for the site and for this unique and unusual piece, which will buoy us in the off-season, off-site trainings and rehearsals of The Quarry Project.

August found the band roaming about the quarry, discovering the right places for each piece of music. Here is a little clip taken by John Figueroa who piloted the filming stage. You can really hear the environment of the quarry through the singing,. And here is a clip (no sound) of the budding relationship between the dance and the musicians - CHAIRS in the foreground and a glimpse of the band in the distance. (Band members: vocalists Rebecca Mack, Alison Mott and Audrey Pirog from Amerykanka, Drew Frazier on the shakuhachi and Andric Severance on accordion, percussion and trolling motor)

Please consider supporting the band with a generous donation here at this secure link. Last year, each band member’s average pay was $1,300. For 2020, it will average $2,000. Your financial partnership will actually make this happen.

Finally, let me introduce you to Andric Severance, my collaborator in the music realm.

In 2017, when we had a day in the quarry to test sound and perspective, Andric jumped at the chance, spending the morning with Sofia Hirsch, each with numerous instruments on a stage in the midst of the quarry. The following summer, he was out in the quarry again with a somewhat larger band to test out compositions by Dave Severance, his dad and my long-time partner and collaborator.
In September 2018, Dave bowed out of composing for The Quarry Project and Andric stepped happily into the void. When not in the quarry singing to the echoes or out on the water somewhere trying to catch a fish, he can be heard performing around the state in various projects, including High Summer and The Andric Severance Xtet. At his studio in Burlington, he offers piano lessons for all ages.

He does not breathe under water yet, though he often dreams of it.

Next month, the full ensemble enters the 2020 rehearsal process with our eyes on August’s performances in the quarry for audiences that we hope will include you.

In anticipation and preparation,