S4E01: Album Review: America Will Be! by Tonality, with Alexander L. Blake
Today’s episode of In Unison is all about a recently released choral album: America Will Be! by Tonality, with Alexander L. Blake. This is going to be something we do from time to time when a choir we are fans of releases something new. We hope this episode—and others like it—serve as a resource for all you choir nerds out there to find out what’s hip and happenin’ in the world of choral music. Enjoy!
And now a word from our hosts!
Edited by Fausto Daos
Music excerpts
“Build Me Up,” by Roman GianArthur
“No, Child. No Child.” by Alex Wurman
“in this house” by Cristian Larios
“America Will Be!” by Joel Thompson
“#unitedwedream” by Melissa Dunphy
Episode references
Theme Song: Mr. Puffy by Avi Bortnik, arr. by Paul Kim. Performed by Dynamic
Episode Transcript
Intro [00:00:07] Hello! And welcome to In Unison, the podcast about new choral music and the conductors, composers and choristers who create it. We are your hosts: I am Zane Fiala, Artistic Director of the International Orange Chorale of San Francisco, and I'm Giacomo DiGrigoli, a tenor in IOCSF, the Golden Gate Men's Chorus and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. And this is In Unison. (I like being in unison!)
Zane [00:00:35] Hey, everyone! Today's episode of In Unison is all about a recently released choral album. This is going to be something we do from time to time when a choir we are fans of releases something new. We hope this episode and others like it serve as a resource for all you choir nerds out there to find out what's hip and happenin' in the world of choral music. So, if you know of a new CD just released, please send us a note at ideas@inunisonpodcast.com or give us a shout out via our socials. Now, on most episodes of In Unison, we play full tracks of the music we're discussing. But on this episode, we're only going to play excerpts. Consider this a teaser and if you like what you hear, please help support your choral community by going out and purchasing the full album.
Zane [00:01:20] Hey, today on In Unison, we have a returning guest! Alexander Lloyd Blake is here to tell us about the new Tonality album. Now, several episodes back, we interviewed Alex about forming Tonality and the wonderful journey they've been on since their inception in 2016. So, if you haven't done so already, make sure to go and check out that episode. (It's episode six of Season 3, by the way.) But for a quick overview of Tonality, they are an award-winning choral ensemble focused on spreading a message of unity, peace and social justice through a culturally diverse choral setting. And Alex is their founding artistic director. And today, we're going to focus our attention on the album Tonality just released on August 20th, 2021, titled "America Will Be". Alex, congratulations on yet another superb album. And thanks again for coming on the show to talk about it!
Alex [00:02:12] Thank you for having me!
Giacomo [00:02:14] Golf claps and sound effects of applause, all around [sound of audience clapping]. Alex, we... I just want to start off by saying this album was spectacular. Zane and I sat and we listened to the album end to end, just sort of let the, the narrative arc and the purpose of the album, the tracks, as well as the connective dialogue between the tracks, as a whole, just sort of wash over us and experience it. But I think maybe the first question we'd like to ask is: what is the overall message you're trying to convey with this album and its tracklist? It feels very special to us, but we'd love to hear in your own words what it was you wanted to convey.
Alex [00:02:50] Sure. Well, so this album was done over the past year when, you know, it's difficult for us to get together. But certainly there are a lot of conversations that were happening around so many issues. And to me, you know, really thinking about what it means to be an American, what it means for our history as we think about equality and, certainly in the middle of a pandemic, I think some of those inequalities were highlighted. And thinking about a new sense of awareness about who we are and what we have been and what we are looking to be and really using our music to speak toward those issues and, not in a degrading way toward what America is, but I think in an honest way, because I don't think we can really move forward without being honest about where we are and where we have been. And so, that's where the album kind of leads us. It speaks about the issues, but also speaks to the ideas of who we can be when we work together.
Giacomo [00:03:54] You mentioned in the liner notes... there was something that I thought was really interesting or turn of phrase that you mentioned, which is, "The music on 'America Will Be' looks to speak directly to the injustices that have yet to be labeled." And I thought that was very interesting because you do a wonderful job of articulating the myriad issues that we face as a country. And you do name them quite, quite a few of them. You talk about immigration and social justice and LGBTQ issues and accessibility and all of these things, but what does it mean to talk... to speak directly to injustices that have yet to be labeled.
Alex [00:04:30] To me, I think when I say "have yet to be labeled", I think it's have yet to really be considered core issues around the way that we have run [chuckles], and the way that our society has led. I think, we see some of these, and some of these issues have been seen, maybe finally, as you know, issues that are as historic as America is. But I think still, in terms of how we all internalize that as our issues as opposed to their issues or those one offs, that is really when I think about labeling. It's "how do we take that on together as a community" and therefore we become the solution as opposed to "we want to help those people fix that issue that's theirs." It's really ours. If this whole community in this country is a united union, then all of these issues are ours to bear and ours to fix.
Giacomo [00:05:29] Yeah, I think that's... that's incredible. I think a lot of the pieces... You've been teasing tracks from this album, as you had said over the course of the years, and they do speak to that. Maybe we can take a moment and talk a little bit about actually the process of putting together the album. What was the recording process like, especially through COVID?
Alex [00:05:48] Yes. So, a lot of the album was actually recorded virtually. And so really, as we were going through thinking about which tracks to put on the album, certainly again, kind of keeping a sense of what are the issues at hand, which really... none of the issues that we brought up: climate change, LGBTQ issues, immigration... None of these things are new. And so, we have been speaking about these issues for the past couple of years. A lot of these pieces have not been recorded before. And so, we thought, you know, "This is the time when we have to put together virtual projects and do virtual choir concerts like everyone is doing." We have the fortunate circumstances of having a professional master engineer within our ranks, and the singers have professional recording equipment because we're in Los Angeles and we're able to work with these composers because many of them are living and are, you know, colleagues of ours. And so, it really went from "we're creating these projects to continue conversations throughout the pandemic" to "we have professionally recorded tracks and now I think we can really put this together to say something beautiful."
Zane [00:07:04] So, when you say recorded virtually, you actually mean that. Not that you had a few singers come into a studio at a time, but they actually recorded in their homes? On their own devices? That's amazing!
Alex [00:07:16] It was!
Zane [00:07:17] 'Cause the quality is so high.
Giacomo [00:07:18] Quality is extraordinary.
Alex [00:07:21] Yes. Thank you to Jett Gallindo and Joe Trapanese! But yeah, we would ahh... The process became a little easier as we went through, you know, when you do this twelve times [laughs]. Um, but we would have a meeting to speak about the artistic, you know, nuances that we wanted to bring to each piece. The singers would go forth and record their tracks. Jett would kind of put together, you know, an audition. We would go through and listen and see if there are any things that we need to change or address or edit and then, you know, the magic of engineering. But really, credit to the singers, obviously, for being able to envision and imagine how to sing in that setting when they had to do it alone. That was incredible to hear.
Zane [00:08:05] Yeah, no doubt! That is one of the most challenging things about these virtual projects, because, you know we've, we've done a couple with our group, and it's just asking a person who normally sings with an ensemble to suddenly have to do it all by themselves. It's exceptionally challenging. So, yeah, kudos to your singers. How many singers are on the album? Is it... Does it differ per track?
Alex [00:08:27] Most of the tracks have about 16... around 16 singers. "Build Me Up" had around 40 'cause that was actually our first track. And we invited friends from the Los Angeles community to sing that song, which, of course, turned into kind of an anthem...
Zane [00:08:44] Yeah...
Alex [00:08:44] ... of sorts.
Zane [00:08:45] Yeah. It has a slightly different sound to it as well. You can kind of get a sense of the force. Yeah...
Zane [00:08:50] Let's take a listen to some of that track now. Here is "Build Me Up" by Roman GianArthur. [00:08:55] [Music excerpt: a choir sings with conviction before a soloist sings a soulful solo about how a community of perfect strangers can build one up, weather any storm and a simple prayer can reach a neighbor.]
Giacomo [00:10:47] I want to talk a little bit more about those pre-meetings that you had had about this sort of artistic vision and direction, because I think in addition to sort of the technical prowess it takes for a person to put themselves into the space to say, "well, I'm going to sing this thing in this very, you know, in this very unique and interesting way at this moment", like just creating the vocal production to do that is one thing. It's another entirely to be completely alone and digesting the meaning of these pieces. So, what was it like when you were having these conversations with folks and did you get any feedback from the singers like, "Wow! That was, that was heavy or that was particularly challenging?"
Alex [00:11:23] Sure. I think really a lot of the pieces, I think almost all the pieces we had performed before, except "1232 Lyfe"and "Build Me Up". All the other pieces we had performed. So, it was really kind of more or less coming back to those. We... yeah, and just listening to the singers throughout the process, I think getting more specific as we went through. You know, "In this section we want vibrato. In this section, you know..." That, those kind of nit picky things. But I think overall, the meaning of the song, because of the text that we're singing, is always involved in those conversations, which certainly also helps, I think, with the unity of singing, with the unity of spirit and intention around how to perform them.
Giacomo [00:12:10] Yeah, I think even the title of the album, I think... if I'm not, if I'm not mistaken, it comes from or is borrowed from... I mean, obviously the piece "America Will Be" which is featured on the album itself by Joel Thompson. Brilliant piece. But, if I'm not mistaken, it harkens back to the Langston Hughes poem, "Let America Be America Again", which is fascinating. I mean, we can talk about the dialogue of the "us versus them" and the hope of what America is. But can you tell us a little bit about, sort of, how you wound up choosing maybe that title? And is... Is that... it was... Am I correct? Is that a reference back to the Langston Hughes poem, the "Let America Be America Again"?
Alex [00:12:52] It is.
Giacomo [00:12:52] Yeah. Tell us a little bit about how that factored into the interpretation of the album overall.
Alex [00:12:58] Yes. So... I think well, of course, when you hear the album, you hear the dialogue between you and I'll get to that in a second. But really, again, to me, and obviously some of this is probably going to be, you know, in reference to thoughts and words and conversations around the election. But really speaking to, you know, this "America is great." The question that I thought we've been addressing for so long and it's like, "for whom has America been great?" And, I think for the first time after the murder of George Floyd, a lot of people had to really sit with the fact that America hasn't been great for a lot of people for the history of their existence, depending on identity here. And really, again, in the spirit of community, if the history hasn't been great for some, then it really hasn't been great for all. In the sense of us caring for each other and supporting each other.
Alex [00:14:03] And so, when we address these issues in the direct way that we do through these songs, I think it really, again, brings back a presence and an awareness of the challenges that we still need to face and maybe for the first time, for some in the past year, year and a half, of the things that I didn't have to see, based on my identity, have been a lot more pervasive than maybe, you know, previously thought. And it's really from that awareness, then we can make real change because you can't address the problems and if you can't be brave enough to really sit with the issues, then we can't fix the things that we don't know about.
Alex [00:14:50] And so, again, in the... In the thinking of this music, we are bringing awareness to so many issues that address so many people in this country and I think, you know, a lot of the songs have in them or at the end of them are in the middle, you know, some type of "what does this mean?" Where's the hope, the unity and, in that awareness of how this really is our issue together, we can do the work to make the America that we want." And so, you know, I think kind of "America can be" versus "America will be". I think it's kind of a stronger statement to say, "We will not rest until those around us and the most vulnerable among us feel included, feel like this can be home to them and can be home to all of us. And that's the work that we have to do to make the country that we want."
Giacomo [00:15:43] I love that message of hopefulness and I love actually the juxtaposition of that idea of "America will be", which is "there's work to do. We will go forward" versus the sort of regressive thinking, even in the title of Langston Hughes poem, "Let America Be America Again", as if there were something in the past that were OK that we want to return to. And the truth is [laughter], there wasn't much that we wanted. I mean, maybe that message of hope, which carries through, you know, his poem and Emma Lazarus' poem on the Statue of Liberty and all those things. I mean, that message of hopefulness is one that's easy to let go of, right? It's very easy to feel discouraged. And I think one of the other things you talk through in this album is the notion of mental health, right? That is very important. And one of the things that I find fascinating about listening to this album, and I agree, by the way, everyone who's listening, you should listen. If you need a teaspoon of hope, listen to this album, because I think there's a, there's an aspect of it which does reinvigorate that sense, right? It's very easy when you think about our mental health that, like, we can get worn down, we can be exhausted. And the repetitiveness of seeing the same problems over and over again and nothing being resolved can be very frustrating, right? And if we were, if we were to put America on a couch in a psychiatrist's office, that psychiatrist might be like, "Hey, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Right? And so, it's quite interesting to see where do you source that sense of hope when you look at the folks and when you've created this album, where did you sort of source that from for yourself? Was it from texts like these, this poetry? And what was the inspiration, I guess, for you to feel like, "Hey! We can... You know, I'm going to put a message of hope out there?"
Alex [00:17:31] I think really it seems like, though, you know, as we are going to the season again around, you know, the issues that we are seeing, there's a lot more conversation. And I think maybe, to me, it seemed like the first time there was more intention to really have difficult conversations. Thinking about Langston Hughes, you know, "Let America, you know like,be America again." To me, that "America again" is obviously not what was actually happening, but it was the ideals that were being thrown out. You know, the quotes of the Statue of Liberty and that being juxtaposed to like the reality of people who are not, you know, "not from", and I say "not from" in quotations, because obviously that is many of us.
Alex [00:18:17] But really to me, the hope is having people have real conversations, looking for real change and improvement and, certainly in Tonality, in the work that we do and the organizations we work with, working with people who are really about giving their time and their voice and their art and their gifts to these issues. It is not easy to speak or to sing about these things. And yet, you know, when I... when we have these conversations with composers and we have the conversations among singers and we hear from our audience members, you know, and our supporters online about how these pieces really mean something to them, and we find more stories.
Alex [00:18:59] That's community. That's empathy throughout art. And to me, like that is what we... that is what we need. And that's kind of the spirit that helps me feel more encouraged to have these conversations and also makes me feel more encouraged that we really are seeing the change that we need to see.
Giacomo [00:19:18] And speaking of those stories that are coming from the community, a place that I sort of found some hope and inspiration was through the video and the track for "No, Child. No Child" by Alex Wurman, which is quite beautiful. Maybe you can tell some folks what that piece is about... because you all should just jump out and go watch this video and listen to this track, by the way. It's stunning! But maybe you can tell folks about that piece specifically.
Alex [00:19:42] Absolutely. So, that work by Alex Wurman... It is, it is beautiful! I actually sang that first through Edie Boddicker. She put together a group to form an event with a couple of composers. I actually forget at the time what that event was, but I remember singing this piece and I didn't know Alex Wurman at the time. And I remember walking up to him after we sang it and just said, "Hi! I know you don't know who I am, but I have a choir and I feel like this piece should be very powerful with what we do." We are Tonality, we like to do pieces about, you know, issues and the piece is really written about his experience, you know, growing up, trying to find acceptance and love and dealing with shame, the things that so many of us deal with. And we ended up contextualizing that text to speak about the identity of LGBTQ, you know, especially youth in that first concert. And that's how we have looked at that piece through the year.
Alex [00:20:53] And then, more recently, I got connected to members of the deaf community and realized how much I had not really considered. I had never known a deaf person before and had never considered how we were not servicing that community and not including that community in our work. And I said, "you know, for Tonality to be a group about inclusivity, that's not going to fly." And so really, we decided to have more conversations. There were some members of the deaf community and also ASL interpreters, pro bono, ASL again... amazing! Friends helped us put that together. And then really my thought was, "this was our last video. And it's the only live video of the whole album." But we thought, "how can we really include, not just be accessible, but how can we really include the deaf community?" And so to me, that meant working with a deaf director, deaf directors working with a deaf videographer, and deaf performers to really show that this experience of finding oneself and finding love and acceptance is certainly not an experience that's limited to people based on an ability to hear or not.
Alex [00:22:12] And so having our music and our singers that beautifully sung by Molly Pease and Edmond Rodriguez to align with the way that that would be interpreted in ASL was such a beautiful... I don't want to say experiment, just a beautiful example of how we can find different ways. I know we are musicians, but certainly we can align with other artists to bring about messages that are powerful. And I felt like this definitely included and expanded who we get to serve and who we get to work with in the year to come for sure.
Zane [00:22:48] OK, we're going to play an excerpt of "No, Child. No Child." by Alex Wurman now. But we strongly recommend you head over to Tonality's YouTube page via the link in our show notes to watch this video. It is beautifully done. [00:23:03] [Music excerpt: haunting chords sung by choir introduce a female and male singer trading off a sung narrative of a child's struggle and isolation, only to grow up and discover that they are not alone and discover strength in their identity.]
Giacomo [00:25:25] I would love to talk about another track on the album, which I also found, again, as these tracks are sort of washing over you and and you sort of get to ruminate afterwards thinking about them, their impact. I mean, every single one of them just packs a wallop. I mean, when you sit and really think what they are. And "in this house" by Cristian Larios was another, which you sort of talk about the rhetoric surrounding immigration and particularly those in the Latinx community. And I thought that that sort of toed a very interesting line of this notion of something we heard in "Can You See?" in Zenaida Robles's piece, which is "no human is illegal", right? And I think a lot of the text from "in this house" kind of plays with that notion of who is in the house, who is included, how are we portraying folks who are... whose immigration status may be out of step or something like that, I don't know how you would refer to it appropriately, but tell us a little bit about this piece and sort of what inspired you to include it on this album.
Alex [00:26:29] So "in this house"... Ahh, "in this house" is a very powerful piece as well. I feel like I'd say that most, if not all the pieces in the album [laughs].
Giacomo [00:26:39] It's true, they all are. [laughs]
Alex [00:26:42] But it's a very direct piece and, I would say, it's probably more direct than most of the pieces that I've heard in general, let alone on this album. You know, really, it was a decision to make because, as most nonprofits are always watching that they're not playing political roles, we certainly are taking a piece that uses text that was used in the middle of a presidential campaign how people were described. And, of course, you know, to me, the way I always think about these pieces is a lot of the pieces touch political issues because political issues touch communities and they touch people and we serve and talk about issues that affect our community. And so, you know, the goal is never to go about a piece in some political rants, but we're here to express perspectives of various communities. And interactions with ICE is certainly an experience that a lot of people have to deal with. And one that actually touched Tonality when one of our singers was picked up by ICE and detained for weeks...
Giacomo [00:27:55] Wow.
Alex [00:27:56] ... a couple of years ago. And so to me, you know, it's this is the exact example of why these stories are so important. You know, knowing immigration and immigration rights are important and then seeing a friend of mine be detained and going to his court case and watching him in kind of the outfit that they give inmates like that, it's a different, it's a different intention. It's a different way to talk about the issue. And so to me, I felt because now I have a little bit more of an insight of what that experience is like, there is no indirect way to talk about how people are treated.
Alex [00:28:36] And so, when we thought about this piece in our concert and then on the album, you know, it might seem very direct, it might seem too, you know, on the nose. But if you are directly involved with family members or people in your community who deal with that, it is not at all.
Giacomo [00:28:56] I would 100 percent agree with that. And I would say to your earlier point about toeing the line between art and politics, I mean, which art has always toed the line if you've got something to say. You know, one of the things that was interesting for me is, you know, I haven't had that experience, righ? Or haven't seen it firsthand. And yet, this piece of art brings to the fore not just the sort of the language that you talked about what, what sort of came up in the election and sort of how people were talking about immigration, but actually also depicts very specifically language to use if you are being confronted by ICE. And I think what was fascinating about that is that that is just something I never have had to consider, right? Like, or... you know, it's basically the equivalent of your Miranda rights. I think when you were picked up by the police was this idea of "this is what happens if ICE knocks on your door." And to just be exposed to that alone is so incredibly eye opening to be like, "wow, that is just an experience I have never been through" and stands alone just as a piece of art to say "this is an experience that people have and you should know about it."
Zane [00:30:04] Here's an excerpt of that piece of art now. This is "in this house" by Cristian Larios. [00:30:11] [Music excerpt: a chorus intones a broken melody by humming which introduces spoken instructions, first in English then Spanish, on what to do if detained by ICE.]
Alex [00:32:31] I love the way that Cristian also, you know, he again, he used the words that were used and then also turned it around and said, you know, "innovators and workers and dreamers". And, you know, again, this is the hope. You know, we can be direct about the issues, but then we can also, of course, you know, with the instructions of how to deal with ICE agents, but then also kind of make sure that the pieces give a sense of positive energy, right? We don't want to leave people in the dirt emotionally because we need people to feel invigorated. And so, to me, it's a beautiful way that he turned that around to really say that there are many ways that one could choose to describe people and, you know, the way we're going to describe them as people who are hardworking and who dream and who want to survive here like the rest of us.
Giacomo [00:33:25] Yes. And I think two of the pieces that do that, I mean, certainly are "#UnitedWeDream", Melissa Dunphy's piece, which is really quite extraordinary and a great and a great coda, I think, to the album. But then the title track, "America Will Be!" by Joel Thompson... Can you tell folks specifically a piece of that? Because I think Joel, as a composer, has a very interesting story as it pertains to being an American and his journey. But maybe tell us a little bit about that piece and sort of what it specifically means to you and its place on the album.
Alex [00:34:04] Sure. Well, certainly it has a lot of importance as it is the title track. I think it really does speak to so many, again, the ideals that we have mentioned, you know, using the text from Emma Lazarus, "give me your tired, your poor". So what has that meant? What does that mean? What can it mean? I also love that it has 10 languages in it. You know, as we were singing and we're giving voice to issues to really use the various ways to communicate issues, messages of hope and peace, was certainly something that I found powerful. And really... I feel like the piece is... The piece is... Joe always writes powerful music. When I saw what Pietro Torrisi did with the video the first time... I think I actually saw it on my birthday because I was out and we did a kind of an outdoor birthday thing, and I remember watching it as friends are coming up and I'm like tearing up as I'm seeing this. And my friend's like, "what's happening? This is supposed to be a happy day." But really, to see children see-sawing across the border, to kind of see this beautiful image of the Statue of Liberty and really, I think, find even an awareness of what's happening. And I think Joel's piece does this sonically as well, to find that energy toward unity and hope. Like, I think we are always trying to move, I feel, closer to the ideals that we have stated for this country to be. I think you hear that in Joel's piece. You hear that we're not there. And he uses the words, you know, from Langston Hughes, "America is not America to me". But it is what we will be. And I feel like the way the piece goes through and the types of sonorities that Joel uses really shows that we are always kind of churning.
Alex [00:36:17] It seems like there's a rumbling and rustling, especially in the middle of the piece that just to me just symbolizes that work, the positive work that we do. And when I think about the energy that's needed for us to make these changes, it is, it is that. It is all of those languages. It's all those communities represented. It is that energy. It is that awareness that, you know, that we're working. It is not always easy, but it is consistent and persistent. And we get there together. And I feel like Joel's piece does that beautifully.
Zane [00:36:52] Let's hear that consistency and persistence come through now in Joel Thompson's "America Will Be!" [00:37:00] [Music excerpt: singers express their hopes and dreams in a multitude of languages, punctuated by clapping, stomping and syncopated rhythms.]
Giacomo [00:39:44] As we're wrapping up this episode and our time together, I know that Zane and I would love for everyone to go run out, grab a copy of this album. Maybe you could tell folks where they can find it. And maybe for a little insider baseball, tell us why you chose to release it the way you did.
Alex [00:40:03] Sure. So, again, when we were doing the year, we were just putting out projects and then realized after that that we had 12 professionally recorded records and actually 12 visual presentations for each track. I mean, I don't know anyone other than Beyoncé who has done like a visual album.
Giacomo [00:40:25] I was just going to say this is "Lemonade" all over again. Yes. [laughter]
Alex [00:40:28] Yes! [laughter from Giacomo and Zane] So, and of course, any way that we can, you know, copy what Beyoncé is doing, then we've won. So, in that way, we have on our website "our tonality dot org", you can get to the "America Will Be" website, which has the tracks, but also has interviews about each track, interviews from our community members, also organizations. And that was to me what was so important. We really tried to bring the Tonality experience to this website. So, you get to watch the video. But it's not just you be entertained by this music about social justice. It's "now that you're here, here are some practical resources and some real organizations that are doing the direct work." And so, you don't even have to go off the page to look that up. You can also see context from the composers around the piece. So you get a little bit more about the why. Ourtonality.org will access "America Will Be". And then it's on streaming as well. You can buy and download the physical copies, the digital streaming on Bandcamp, on Apple Music, soon on Spotify, probably on most of your preferred listening platforms. So, it's out there.
Zane [00:41:46] Well, we will definitely put links to all of those locations in our show notes to make sure that we're helping direct our audience to be able to to come and support you guys and and pick up the album and watch the videos. And I think it's so fantastic that you got these extra resources on that website. That's just... It's such a wonderful extension of the Tonality mission. Aside from making beautiful and impactful music, you're actually making a beautiful and impactful stamp on just America, which is great. Yeah. Thanks for what you guys do. That's really great.
Alex [00:42:22] Thank you!
Giacomo [00:42:23] Alex, thank you so much for sharing that. Everyone should rush out to have a listen to this album to participate as well in all the different ways that Tonality is presented for us to help with social justice issues in America. And you all have definitely raised the bar to Beyoncé levels, for sure. So that is really spectacular. But, in closing, there were a couple of other things maybe that we can just mention about Tonality. Y'all have been quite busy lately. Maybe you could tell some of the folks about some of the other projects that you all have been working on as well. So there's some other stuff that folks can check out.
Alex [00:42:58] Sure. Well, let's see. In the middle of a pandemic, we were able to sing with the Kronos Quartet. So that was amazing. But yes, we just recently... Well, I think the film was recently released. We were able to sing on this score "Space Jam".
Zane [00:43:16] That's so cool. [laughs].
Alex [00:43:16] So that was so quite exciting. Yes.
Zane [00:43:19] Yeah. You hinted, last time we had you on, you hinted that there was a special project that you all had worked on and that it was going to be released soon. And then when the news broke that it was the "Space Jam" score, I just thought, that's just so cool. How did that... did you guys get approached by the producers of the movie or whatever?
Alex [00:43:38] So I was able to meet Kris Bowers, an amazing composer who's worked on so many projects. "Bridgerton", you know... I don't want to list them all because we'd be here for a long time. But I was able to meet him a couple of years ago and, you know, get to hear his amazing music and talk to him and really understand his story and our aligned missions of understanding what representation does and what it can do.
Alex [00:44:11] And especially in our world of classical music or film music, the opportunity and possibility of seeing many people who look all sorts of ways, have agency and have the opportunity to be involved in these kinds of projects is something special. And so, really talking to Kris, and him learning more about Tonality, it just seemed like a great fit, umm... I don't mean to speak for him, but, you know... for him to involve a group that has diversity and places that as a priority, to involve an ensemble like ours in a project as big as "Space Jam" certainly, I think, gives a bigger message of what is possible when we really continue to open doors and create possibilities. So, I mean, that's kudos to Kris Bowers for having that insight and being a visionary in that way. But, yeah, it was certainly an unexpected, but such an amazing experience to be able to say we were able to be involved, you know, in "Space Jam" - one step closer to LeBron, I guess.
Zane [00:45:23] [laughter] Fantastic. Do you guys have any planned performances coming up, back to in person? I know that you just recently completed auditions and have a new roster. What's, what's on the docket for folks to be able to see it in person? Is that coming up?
Alex [00:45:38] It is coming up. Yes! We have four concerts of our own coming up this year that's going to be released very soon. And so all those concerts will run in October through May. We'll deal with the distancing and the vaccination requirements and all those things. But definitely, I think, as we've mentioned, so many amazing projects, really, our bread and butter is creating spaces of empathy and understanding in person. And so, we're looking forward to getting back to that.
Alex [00:46:07] We're also performing with, uhh... the Lithuanian Orchestra at the Geffen, doing a piece, an opera on climate change called "Sun & Sea", that's happening in October. And, you know, we'll be doing kind of volunteer services as well. We're singing at the 9/11 day event. So, you know, finding small ways, safe ways of really bringing our music to the community and excited to finally get back to doing that live.
Zane [00:46:39] Since recording this conversation, Tonality has indeed announced their performance schedule for the remainder of 2021 and 2022. So just head over to their website, "our tonality dot org", to get the full details.
Zane [00:46:54] Well, this has been great. Alex, thanks for coming on and talking about the album. It's just inspirational. And I know those of us in the choral world look up to you guys as being, you know, front runners as far as promoting social justice, but also just awareness of, you know, where we live and what we need to do to make it a better place. So...
Giacomo [00:47:16] ... and making kickass music while you're doing that. It's pretty awesome.
Zane [00:47:20] Yeah, amen. Amen.
Alex [00:47:20] Thank you!
Zane [00:47:21] All right. Well, we'll talk to you again soon, I hope.
Alex [00:47:23] Thank you. Yes!
Zane [00:47:24] All right. Let's finish off this episode with one final excerpt. This is Melissa Dunphy's moving composition, "#UnitedWeDream". [00:47:35] [Music excerpt: a soloist sings a dreamy, folk song-like melody with gradual additions of harmony and voices. The message of inclusivity with the lyrics are reinforced with more intricate harmony and short interpolations of Spanish with the mostly English lyrics - reflecting the diversity of the U.S.]
Outro [00:49:35] Thanks for listening to this week's episode of the In Unison podcast. Be sure to check out episode extras and subscribe at inunison podcast dot com. You can follow us on all social media @inunisonpod. And leave us a review on Apple podcasts to let us know what you think!
Credits [00:49:52] In Unison is produced and recorded by Mission Orange Studios. Our transcripts have been diligently edited by IOCSF member and friend of the pod, Fausto Daos, and our theme music is Mr. Puffy, written by Avi Bortnick, arranged by Paul Kim, and performed by the Danish vocal jazz ensemble Dynamic on their debut album, This is Dynamic. Special thanks to Paul Kim for permission. Please be sure to check them out at www.dynamicjazz.dk. [excerpt of Melissa Dunphy's "#UnitedWeDream" continue to play on until fadeout to end of podcast.]