Title
Song for the World
Performers (listed by name and role):
Anna Zanin: ANGELA, the doctor
Sierra Tennyson: MELISSA, the teacher
Denise Carlson: JASMINE, the college student
Carson Lampert: JOSH, the high school senior
Noah Mallet, piano
Ursula Glasmacher, viola
Daijana Wallace, cello (audio only)
Special thanks to:
Kim Sergent, Alverson Center for Performing Arts (Soprano 1)
Samantha Thomas, ACPA Theatre lighting
Dr. David Biedenbender, Dr. Ricardo Lorenz, and Trevor Smith (composition mentors for this song)
Description
“Song for the World” was written last spring for an original musical that I am working on called Masked. “Song for the World” is about coming together to make a better future, despite our differences. This particular performance was filmed asynchronously from all over the state! The recordings and videos were put together with Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro. The full video is six minutes long and contains a humorous Zoom-related intro
Reflection
This microgrant helped me to get the funding that I needed to buy one of my performers a USB microphone. The rest of the funds are being put towards the costs of the future production, which will add up to be more than $10,000 in the end. The biggest thing that I have learned about creating during COVID is that art can be made anywhere and at any time. The work and the inspiration didn’t stop simply because the in-person activities did; it’s just that our perspective shifted. I think that many composers and performers have realized the importance of being able to physically be together for live performances and creation. I know that I certainly have and will never take live performance for granted ever again! Live collaboration and readings are a very important part of the composition process. We coordinated some Zoom rehearsals for this performance of “Song for the World”, but we still ran into many issues with people not having the time in their schedule and the vocalists not being able to sing while unmuted because of latency errors. I absolutely believe that anyone could benefit from a grant like this! The Create! Microgrants are a great way to get funding for your projects while doing what you love. Aside from the funds, it also provides great networking opportunities through meetings and live Q and A sessions with other artists and the community. I admire the fact that it branches across a variety of different art forms instead of just a few select groups, which is how some other grants and scholarships work.