Loading Video . . . Acclaimed singer/songwriter Mara Measor explores the theme of "Dancing" from 1 Chronicles 15 in this work. 1 Chronicles 15 You Saw Me By Mara Measor Credits: Written, Composed, Performed by Mara Measor Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2013 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Through my songs, I seek to gently transport people from where they are to where they might not have been before. Places of introspection, provocation, memory; places accessible only through melodies. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Born and raised in Hong Kong, Mara Measor is half-British and half-Chinese but you wouldn’t guess it when you hear her. After high-school she spent a year working and singing in Ethiopia and now performs as an indie singer-songwriter in NYC. She was featured as “One to Watch” in Audrey Magazine, and her bilingual song “I want to Love You” recorded live on a Hong Kong TV Channel RTHK was shortly selected as a Best of the Year performance in 2012. She has played in NYC venues including Joe’s Pub, the Bitter End, Caffe Vivaldi and the Museum of Chinese in America. She has also sang in Shanghai and South Korea. Mara graduated with an acting degree from NYU Tisch. She has appeared on TV (Blue Bloods, CBS), off-Broadway shows and starred in numerous independent films. She is currently a recording artist at Good Mood Records, where she works in collaboration with Emmy-Award winning producer and composer Jamie Lawrence. Her debut album “Mara” was released August 2013. www.marameasor.com Instagram: instagram.com/marameasor Website Mara Measor About the Artist Weight of the Dark Mara Measor Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . I think we are all familiar with the plight of Job and God’s terrifying responding questions of Job’s understanding. For me, this passage provides such a revealing of God’s mystery. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Job 38 Job 39 Job 40 Job 41 Artist in Residence 2018: Elias Popa Part 1 By Elias Popa Credits: Curated by: Spark & Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2018 2018 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link March 12, 2018 I think we are all familiar with the plight of Job and God’s terrifying responding questions of Job’s understanding. For me, this passage provides such a revealing of God’s mystery. When reading those scriptures, I always feel like God lets us in on a small fraction of his complex and labyrinth-like heart. It’s uncomfortably narrow and sometimes violent. Wild. Frightening. Claustrophobic. But as we follow through this squeezing, we resign to the terrible holiness of God. That done, we find that upon passing through these narrow passages, God leads us to the Centre of His heart which is wider, more encompassing and peaceful than the entire universe. VIEW: Project Proposal Mock Up for Spark+Echo Arts It is by passing through this ‘tightness of fitting’ that our perspective of the world changes to one of radical sameness. Although nothing has changed in that we are still very much in our current circumstances, the world is made new—revealed as filled with unceasing opportunities. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Elias Popa was born April 7, 1987 to Romanian immigrants in California. After traveling between his home in Romania and throughout the United States, he continued his travels into his adulthood by moving to China, traveling Southeast Asia, South America and working with refugees. During his travels around the world, his worldview in art was deeply impacted. “My art expresses the struggle of identity and hope, worship and expressions of life. It explores common world views and challenges them. My work shines a light on the temporal solutions we put in place to replace what we really need deep inside”. As an installation artist, Elias uses conventional materials such as paper, wire, thread, and clothing to evoke a deeper understanding about social structures. His aim is to solidify abstract ideas about the nuances that make up sociological structures. By doing so, he retrains the eye to build a visual literacy again and treats the art as a fundamental language. He also studied dark room photography for 10 years, as well as writes poetry. Through his art, Elias started The Human Rights Network, a non for profit organization aimed at “telling stories that change lives.” The organization aims to build narratives through art that can impact social issues and generate activism. He currently works as a curator and manager of the esteemed Waterfall Mansion and Gallery on the Upper East Side, as well as the founder of the Human Rights Network. He resides on the Upper West Side of Manhattan where he works out of his home. He was the recipient of CFW’s artist vocational intensive, held at Princeton University. He also was selected on an Interfaith and Arts Panel at Columbia University, as well as regular participates in speaking engagements. Website Elias Popa About the Artist Artist in Residence 2018: Elias Popa Part 2 Artist in Residence 2018: Elias Popa Part 3 Artist in Residence 2018: Elias Popa The Art of Kintsugi and Sacrifices in Sidewalks Elias Popa Other Works By Follow the development of Elias' project by reading his second , third and final posts written as 2018 Artist in Residence. Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . The work of musician Justin Keller captures the sense of overwhelming awe found in the heavenly vision as described in Revelation 4:2-8. Revelation 4:2-8 Lion, Calf, Man, Eagle By Justin Keller Credits: Written, performed, and recorded by Justin Keller. 2016 Curated by: Sarah Gregory 2016 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link "Lion, Calf, Man, Eagle" I was always fascinated with Revelation when I was a kid. I didn't understand the symbolism (not that I do now), but the images it conjured up in my imagination were astounding. I wanted to capture some of that daydreamy wonder with this song. My normal tendency is to pile lots of stuff onto an arrangement to build it to a climax, but I decided it would be better here to give the listener the feeling of being dropped into this amazing scene that has started long ago and shows no signs of stopping or creating a crescendo. I also went against my initial instinct with the words I chose to set. The "Holy, holy, holy" chorus is the obvious choice, but it's been set to music many times by superior composers. I ran the passage by an editor friend of mine, and he fixated on the "full of eyes around and within" phrase. As it's repeated, it can take on different meanings, which I love. When I first read it, I just imagined these heavenly creatures with many eyes. As I recorded the song and sang and heard the phrase over and over, its meaning shifted according to my mood and what else was on my mind. I hope the listener has a similar experience. A few nerdy notes about the music: I came up with the rhythm section parts by using some serial composition techniques with the numbers in the passage. I love having numbers to help me set limits on my musical choices. The saxophone part was improvised as I looped the backing parts and thought about the passage. Sort of my own musical narration. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Justin Keller Started in Brooklyn in 2007, Land of Leland is the musical project of multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Justin Keller. LoL’s releases include a self-titled EP and a full-length record, Home/Away, which just came out in April on Primary Records. Justin occasionally plays shows with different iterations of the band, from solo to sextet. View more info at www.LandofLeland.com Website Justin Keller About the Artist Justin Keller Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . 2017 Artist in Residence Lily Maase presents her nearly-completed song cycle, Buried in Wicked Light inspired by Revelations 9:10-20; 11:3-7; Isaiah 8:11; Proverbs 4:23. Proverbs 4:23 Isaiah 8:11 Revelations 9:10-20 Revelations 11:3-7 Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase By Lily Maase This album contains some strong language, references to violence, and allusions to drug use, and may not be suitable for all audiences. Discretion is advised. Credits: Composed, Written, and Performed By Lily Maase. 2017 Curated by: Spark & Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2017 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Buried in Wicked Light is a rock opera about standing tall at the end of the world. It is a series of love letters—from the author to herself and others, and from the author's mother to her memory of herself as a little girl. Written in loving remembrance of my father Steve Maase, and in witness to what we lived through when I was young. I am a grown woman now. I wish you were here to see whatever happens next. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lily Maase is a rock, country, jazz and classical guitarist raised in New Mexico, educated at the University of North Texas, and living in Brooklyn, New York. She is contributing writer for Premier Guitar Magazine and has contributed to Guitar World and Guitar World’s Acoustic Nation, who recently lauded her as a “master guitar teacher.” She is the founder and owner of Brooklyn GuitarWorks, a workshop-oriented center for guitar and bass guitar education located in Williamsburg. Lily is the lead guitarist, musical director and bandleader with the Rocket Queens all-female tribute to Guns N Roses and the Suite Unraveling (Tzadik). She is the lead guitarist with Gato Loco, and is endorsed by Godin Guitars. Her playing has been featured by Vans.com, Maxim.com, Guitar World’s Acoustic Nation, Teen Vogue, and Elle Magazine. Website Lily Maase About the Artist Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Part 1 Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Part 2 Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Part 3 Look Out Below Lily Maase Other Works By Read the complete set of lyrics to Buried in Wicked Light . Follow Lily's project's development throughout the year by reading her previous first , second and third posts. Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This hauntingly beautiful song by indie singer-songwriter Mara Measor explores the importance of experiencing darkness in order to know light in response to Isaiah 60:2. Isaiah 60:2 Weight of the Dark By Mara Measor Credits: Written, Composed, + Performed by Mara Measor Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2020 Indie Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. (Isaiah 60:2, NIV) The idea of a thick darkness covering the peoples fascinates me. It reminds me of the poetry in Genesis 1: "darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." We tend to think of light as good, dark as bad — but I wonder if we are always too quick to apply a positive/negative dichotomy to whatever concept we get our hands on. In the Weight of the Dark, I explore the idea of darkness being necessary to know light. And while darkness can be unpleasant, unwanted, painful; it's an important state to fully feel so that light and lightness can also be fully felt. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Born and raised in Hong Kong, Mara Measor is half-British and half-Chinese but you wouldn’t guess it when you hear her. After high-school she spent a year working and singing in Ethiopia and now performs as an indie singer-songwriter in NYC. She was featured as “One to Watch” in Audrey Magazine, and her bilingual song “I want to Love You” recorded live on a Hong Kong TV Channel RTHK was shortly selected as a Best of the Year performance in 2012. She has played in NYC venues including Joe’s Pub, the Bitter End, Caffe Vivaldi and the Museum of Chinese in America. She has also sang in Shanghai and South Korea. Mara graduated with an acting degree from NYU Tisch. She has appeared on TV (Blue Bloods, CBS), off-Broadway shows and starred in numerous independent films. She is currently a recording artist at Good Mood Records, where she works in collaboration with Emmy-Award winning producer and composer Jamie Lawrence. Her debut album “Mara” was released August 2013. www.marameasor.com Instagram: instagram.com/marameasor Website Mara Measor About the Artist You Saw Me Mara Measor Other Works By Read: Weight of the Dark lyrics Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Filmmaker John Egan created this film in response to passages from Joshua 1:1, 3-6, 9-18; 3:5, 11-12; 4.2. Joshua 1:1 Joshua 1:3-6 Joshua 1:9-18 Joshua 3:5 Joshua 3:11-12 Joshua 4:2 Joshua By John Egan Credits: Curated by: Michael Markham 2015 Short Film Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link In reading Joshua (the book of war) I began to hear three distinct voices arise from the verses: one of a militant, one of a father, and one of a son. Initially I wanted to write three monologues for these characters, adapting the verses that I felt spoke for/to each of these characters. What evolved were three scenes, led by each of these characters. The result was a sort of triptych film, that (I hope) deals with the cycles of war through family generations and unpacking what it truly means to be "strong and courageous." What does it mean to be spoken to by God? Does that give us authority over others? Are so we naive to think that war will save us, even if we have "goodness" on our side? After we've destroyed our enemies, where does that leave our young men who fought? Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection A Minnesota native, John Egan has been a performing artist in NYC for the past 14 years. John is grateful to Spark and Echo for the opportunity to create a new piece for this ambitious campaign. John is a member of BREAD Arts Collective as well as CORE Artists Ensemble. Currently he can be seen in RISE AND FALL at People Lounge, every Sunday night at 8pm. John is a graduate of The Juilliard School. Website John Egan About the Artist John Egan Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Kimberly Grey's poem explores the sweetness and the pain of love, inspired by Genesis 5:2. Genesis 5:2 System with Some Kindness By Kimberly Grey Credits: Curated by: Kent Shaw 2016 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This passage from Genesis immediately got me thinking about the word "kind" that was attached to the idea of humanity as it was created. And I couldn't help but think: but are we kind? Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. And I immediately thought of lovers, how it seems impossible for two people who have chosen to combine their lives together to be solely kind or solely cruel. There's usually some kind of back and forth between the beloveds. This is what makes the engine go. Keep going. Because I'm working on a series of poems called "systems" (where an idea is repeated in broken down parts or ideas to make some kind of larger statement) I saw that this poem could fit into that project. The word kind eventually breaks down, becomes kings, kins, rinds, as the larger idea of kindness is explored. I couldn't help but think of Aristophanes' speech about lovers, that human beings were originally round organisms composed of two people joined together. But Zeus chopped each of them in two and now, as a result, the lovers go through life constantly searching for the other person who can make him whole again. Though it may sound romantic, it's this action of combining two beings that creates difficulty. No person who ever loved another person didn't experience some kind of pain from it. The poem is interested in that pain, in the erasure that occurs when two people attempt to act as one. There will undoubtedly be some kind of suffering and some kindness around the suffering. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Kimberly Grey is the author of The Opposite of Light, winner of the 2015 Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize and published by Persea Books. Her work has appeared in Tin House, A Public Space, Kenyon Review, Boston Review, Southern Review , and many other journals. She is the recipient of a Wallace Stegner Fellowship and Civitella Ranieri Fellowship and currently teaches creative writing at Stanford University. Website: www.kimberlyMgrey.com Website Kimberly Grey About the Artist Kimberly Grey Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art Let me state, this will not end kindly. There was a woman and a man, some kind of language between them. View Full Written Work “He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created.” Genesis 5:2 System with Some Kindness by Kimberly Grey Let me state, this will not end kindly. There was a woman and a man, some kind of language between them. It’s easier to tell the story of what binds than what wounds them – Said her: Kindly clean your feet, Said him: kindly find your mind, Said both: would you kindly mind your fine fine eyes? Who would hope for this? “I examined you when you were in the most pain,” said neither. Both rinds of leftover fruit, gone and bad. Lovers are not kings, not kinds of kings, not kins, even. If you pay attention, you can hear them win in their losses. They practice, with their contours, a kind of war: coming together shape to shape, resembling a geometric sameness: “love and hate in combination make an irresistible enemy” – I don’t know who said this and if they meant it kindly, but what binds the lovers, what makes them kind, is their bodies together, the spherical shape the Greeks ached for. They lay outside of Olympus, anthropologically unapologetic, mind to mind, cheek to cheek, striving for and writhing in this kind of “ness”: No lover not loved a little remissed (erasing the eyes the thighs the feet the lips) No neck bone broken quickly without it. Close Loading Video . . . Let me state, this will not end kindly. There was a woman and a man, some kind of language between them. Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . White Robe is a musical response to beautiful imagery in Revelation 7, composed for a couple to celebrate their anniversary. Revelation 7:9-17 White Robe By The Spark & Echo Band Credits: Composer: Jonathon Roberts Musicians: Jonathon Roberts, piano/vocal; Emily Clare Zempel melodica/vocal; Jay Foote, bass; Mason Neely, drums Mixing by Alexander Foote Mastering by Matt Shane at Masterdisk NYC Curated by: Commission 2011 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link White Robe is a love song commissioned by Amanda Bourman for her husband, Timothy Bourman in celebration of their 3rd wedding anniversary on May 31st, 2011. Revelation 7:9-17 was their 'engagement verse' that Tim read to Amanda after he proposed to her in the Conservatory Gardens in Central Park, NYC. Tim Bourman is a pastor at Sure Foundation Lutheran Church in Woodside, Queens. We are very grateful for this commission, their friendship, and their generosity to Spark and Echo Arts. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection The Spark & Echo Band is a family outfit of songwriting-storytellers led by husband and wife duo Jonathon Roberts and Emily Clare Zempel. Their music brings forgotten poetry and wild stories from the Bible to life: visions of sparkling wheels in the sky, hunger and thirst, and legends of love as strong as death weave with memorable melodies and captivating rhythms. Drawing from a classical background, influenced by the pianism of Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds, and emulating Paul Simon’s narratival techniques, Spark & Echo sings epic tales of love and adventure. The duo has collaborated on three full lengths albums (Spark&Echo, Inheritance, Cities Project), one video album (In the Clocktower), in addition to many theatrical collaborations, this very nonprofit, and two children. They live in beautiful Beacon, New York, with all of the above. Website The Spark & Echo Band About the Artist What a Day Deep Calls to Deep Yo Sé Do You Love Me? Where Can I Go? How to Be Free Flesh Lifeblood Artist in Residence 2015: Spark & Echo Band Take to Heart The Wheels Frogs Ruined Inheritance The Spark & Echo Band Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Artist Nicora Gangi explores the journey of Rahab in this collage by responding to Joshua 2 in the second work of her three-part series: When the Lord Gives Us the Land Joshua 2:1-24 I See Him but Not Now By Nicora Gangi Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2023 Paper Collage Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link There are seven ropes in this image. Four of them represent the ropes that Rahab made use of to lower the two spies down to the ground from her dwelling on the wall of the city, charging them as they departed to go into the hills, hide themselves for three days and then return to the Israelite camp. The other three ropes/cords are a brilliant scarlet indicating the cord Rahab was to tie to her window. A blue band spans the bottom of each image which is an intentional representation of time - the monthly rotation of the moon. All of God’s determined purposes take time to fulfill. The diamond-shaped opening (a tear in the paper) represents Rehab’s gift of faith to see God’s purpose: the coming of The City of God. In this chapter, Rehab states: “ I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us…everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below" ( Joshua 2:9-11 ). I am reminded of Hebrews 11:15-16 where the passage states: “ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.- they were looking for a lasting city whose builder is God .” Rahab saw way beyond the present moment as if the pages of the Word of God could be torn open to give her a glimpse of what God was doing. She could ‘see’ from her vantage point — the promised future for God’s people. She didn't know it, but that promise was later fulfilled in Jesus. It was He who was to reclaim His people and in the end to come again to establish a lasting city. To all this, I say "Amen!" and may His "will be done on earth as it is in heaven" ( Matthew 6:10 ). Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Nicora Gangi was educated at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA (BFA 1974 and MFA 1976). She was a Professor of Art at Syracuse University for 29 years. Gangi has been awarded many Grand Prize and First Place awards and grants. She has been and continues to be published in numerous artist’s books on pastel paintings. She has lectured regionally and nationally as a visiting artist at universities and artist’s guilds. She is represented by: Edgewood Gallery (Syracuse, NY), and Gangi Studio (Winter Garden, FL ). Website Nicora Gangi About the Artist The Mountain of the House of The Lord So Shall Your Descendants Be This One The Body without the Spirit | 1 The Body without the Spirit | 2 The Body without the Spirit | 3 The Sealed Ones Peace with God The Everlasting Protective Love of God Our Father When the Lord Gives Us The Land The Mountain of the House of The Lord Paneled and Ruins Series The Harvest Spirit of God-The Spirit Hovering Memories Lies Fool Dance Your Truth from the Great Congregation Psalm 18 Sound of Their Wings Psalm 16 Kiss the Son EAST, WEST, NORTH & SOUTH AT HIS TABLE Nicora Gangi Other Works By To view the other panels, click the links below: The Mountain of the House of The Lord So Shall Your Descendants Be To see the whole triptych, click the link below: When the Lord Gives Us The Land Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Spark & Echo explores Psalm 126 this in their song, “How to Be Free.” Psalms 126 How to Be Free By The Spark & Echo Band Credits: Guitar by Alexander Foote Bass by Jay Foote Mixed by Alexander Foot Mastered by Christopher Colbert Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2013 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This song is both a response to Psalm 126 and in honor of Jonathon’s Grandfather, Al Roberts. In this psalm we see the Israelites rejoicing in their return from exile, and their freedom from oppressors after many years. We see the reversal of tears to joy. It reminds us of Al, who taught the people he knew how to be free. His joy and sense of play were contagious, and it was hard to wear a frown when he was around. The sounds that eventually take over this song reflect that playful quality. We like to see this song as a large party, from its height around midnight, to the last dwindling revelers at 4am. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection The Spark & Echo Band is a family outfit of songwriting-storytellers led by husband and wife duo Jonathon Roberts and Emily Clare Zempel. Their music brings forgotten poetry and wild stories from the Bible to life: visions of sparkling wheels in the sky, hunger and thirst, and legends of love as strong as death weave with memorable melodies and captivating rhythms. Drawing from a classical background, influenced by the pianism of Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds, and emulating Paul Simon’s narratival techniques, Spark & Echo sings epic tales of love and adventure. The duo has collaborated on three full lengths albums (Spark&Echo, Inheritance, Cities Project), one video album (In the Clocktower), in addition to many theatrical collaborations, this very nonprofit, and two children. They live in beautiful Beacon, New York, with all of the above. Website The Spark & Echo Band About the Artist White Robe What a Day Deep Calls to Deep Yo Sé Do You Love Me? Where Can I Go? Flesh Lifeblood Artist in Residence 2015: Spark & Echo Band Take to Heart The Wheels Frogs Ruined Inheritance The Spark & Echo Band Other Works By Lyrics: When you saved us from our captors We were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were full of laughter, Our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “Oh lord you’ve done great things for them.” You have done great things for us And we are filled with joy. You taught me how to be free, Free as the river in the spring. Now those who sow with tears, Will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, Carrying seed to sow Will return with a harvest Carrying songs of joy. Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Composer and musician Will Healy explores ways in which to survive and overcome oppression through his emotive work reflecting on Ecclesiastes 4:1-2. Ecclesiastes 4:1-2 Ecclesiastes 4:1-2 By Will Healy Credits: Composed and Performed By Will Healy Curated by: Aaron Beaumont 2017 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Given how much has changed over the last 2,000 years, it is always fascinating to read Bible passages that are relevant to the modern world. In Ecclesiastes 4:1-2, Solomon reflects upon sorrow and inequity, and in doing so he reveals a universal truth about being human–we all long for someone to comfort us. To this day, not only is there still the pain and inequality that Solomon is describing, there is also that same desire for someone to alleviate the pain inherent in human existence. Solomon is so pained by this that he praises the dead for being dead. There are certain people and eras that have truly endured the kind of hardship he is describing, and they have often used music to get them through it. The Negro Spirituals of 19th century America are a beautiful example of this–melodies that could serve as a comforter to the oppressed when there were no others to comfort them. In my musical reflection, I start with an imagined Spiritual melody. Because Solomon is addressing the dead and picturing a comforting afterlife for his ancestors, I felt that the music needed an ethereal, somewhat eerie quality. The Spiritual melody is juxtaposed with sweeping, emotive runs as Solomon imagines the dead. As the piece progresses, the melody becomes increasingly distorted, almost unrecognizable. I end with the melody in the highest range of the piano, in dissonant, painful major 7ths. In today’s world, we face many of the same inequalities and sorrows that existed in Biblical times. It is tempting to become nihilistic about them, as Solomon is in this passage. We can look to the shared pains in every era of human existence, however, and learn from the many ways the oppressed faced their oppressors. In many cases that was through artistic expression, especially music. Perhaps through the universal language of music we can reach new understanding between the oppressors and the oppressed, honoring the dead by reflecting upon their words. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Will Healy is a composer and pianist based in New York. Known for his “lushly bluesy” sound and “adroitly blended… textures” (New York Times), he is the artistic director of ShoutHouse, an ensemble of 15 hip-hop, jazz, and classical musicians. After playing trumpet in an Afrobeat band for a few years, he grew interested in collaborating with performers from many corners of the New York music scene. In addition, he is an accomplished pianist specializing in Bach, with a repertoire that includes the complete Goldberg Variations and WTC Book 1. Healy is the recipient of the Richard Rodgers Scholarship at The Juilliard School, where he studies with John Corigliano. He has also studied with Samuel Adler, Steven Stucky, Kevin Puts, Harold Meltzer, Richard Wilson, George Tsontakis, Stephen Hartke, John Harbison, and many others. Recent awards include a 2017 Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an ASCAP Morton Gould Award, the W.K. Rose Fellowship, and prizes in the Juilliard and Kaleidoscope Orchestra Composition Competitions. He was a composition fellow at the Aspen Music Festival in 2013. Healy’s work has appeared at The Apollo Theater, on the NY Philharmonic’s Biennial series,on “New Sounds” with John Schaefer (WNYC) and “Making Music” (WBAI), and the I Care if You Listen Mixtape. His commissions include harpist Nancy Allen, the Great Lakes Chamber Festival, Novus New Music, Kyo Shin-An Arts, Robert Fleitz and Carrie Frey, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. He studied piano for many years with Dennis Malone at the Crestwood Music School. Website Will Healy About the Artist Will Healy Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Poet Judith Kunst brings us this beautiful poem in response to Lamentations 2:13. Lamentations 2:13 See If There Be Any Sorrow Like Unto My Sorrow By Judith Kunst Credits: Curated by: Elizabeth Dishman 2015 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link What entry point could a 21st century Midwestern poet find in an ancient poem attempting to grieve the desecration and dissolution of an entire nation? I wondered if I could find it in the 13th verse of chapter two, where the writer declares his own linguistic lack: loss of metaphor. "To what can I liken you," he says, "that I may comfort you?" Why is the act of setting two unlike things side by side and placing an equal sign between them a comforting act? Without being able to explain why, we instinctively know and practice the comfort of expressing exactly what we feel: Her smile is a boat that can carry me to safety. His look of scorn pierces me like a dagger. I wondered if a poem that used an apophatic structure‚ the rhetorical strategy of describing a thing by describing what it is NOT‚ could help me come closer to apprehending a sorrow so devastating that the quintessentially human act of metaphor-making has been rendered impossible. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Judith Kunst is the author of The Burning Word: A Christian Encounter with Jewish Midrash (Paraclete). Her poetry can be found in The Atlantic, Poetry, Image, Able Muse, Measure, Southern Poetry Review, and other publications. She leads workshops that seek out the intersections of language, scripture, and culture, and she lives with her family at La Lumiere School in northwest Indiana. Website Judith Kunst About the Artist Judith Kunst Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art Because everything has been taken, because everything that might have offered itself or been taken for consolation has already offered itself and been taken View Full Written Work See If There Be Any Sorrow Like Unto My Sorrow by Judith Kunst With what can I compare you, Daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, Virgin Daughter Zion? Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? – Lamentations 2:13 Because everything has been taken, because everything that might have offered itself or been taken for consolation has already offered itself and been taken, there can be now no consolation of comparison. You are a city but you are not like a city: your buildings are not like buildings, your streets are not like streets, they no longer pave the way for people who no longer act like people. Crying is heard, but I cannot say it is like the crying of lost children, for nothing in it remotely resembles innocence. I cannot say it is like the crying of boiled water in a kettle, for water does not start a fire under itself, nor does water keep boiling when its kettle has been crushed. How I long to say your crying is like that of wild geese, for then I could hear in your sobs some hope of pattern, some syncopation with the rhythms of departure and return. There is not. Any. I write, Your wound is as deep as the sea, and this is such a poorly drawn picture of our tears of our minds thrashing and lost in this enormity of crying that I see: even our language has broken up and been taken away. Close Loading Video . . . Because everything has been taken, because everything that might have offered itself or been taken for consolation has already offered itself and been taken Download Full Written Work