NOTES ON BELONGING
Notes on Belonging: An ongoing series of projects exploring the connections between the arts, the beauty of experiences the world across multiple senses, and how increasing accessibility enriches the creative experience for all.
May 2026: Breath and Line
Breath and Line pairs late Romantic chamber music for winds and strings with live visual art. From Amy Beach’s luminous flute Variations to the autumnal depth of Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet, from Elgar’s intimate Romance for bassoon to the radiant warmth of Florence Price’s Adoration, we trace how far a single melodic line can stretch, and how much feeling a single breath can hold.
Breath and Line continues our multi sensory, accessible series “Notes on Belonging”. As the music unfolds, visual artists respond in real time, tracing the contours and phrasing of the performance. The result is an immersive exploration of breath, movement, and line. Breath and Line explores breath as the foundation of music, dance, and poetry, affirming the inclusive and universal power of the arts.
The project will include performances at the Northshore Education Consortium and the Beverly Council on Aging.
May 2025: Brushstrokes
A multidisciplinary, multisensory performance shaped by Deaf culture, visual art, and shared creation. With live painting, Soundpainting improvisation, Mozart and Hadyn on historical instruments, and ASL interpretation, Brushstrokes reimagines what a concert can be, and affirms that music is for everyone. Please find more info on the program and our collaborators here.
Brushstrokes was developed in collaboration with the Children’s Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf and Deaf artist Nancy Rourke. We will present free outreach performances for students at CCC/BSD, and two performances for the general public, at Peabody’s Black Box Theater at ArcWorks Community Art Center, and Marren Theater at Lesley University.
May 2024: Dreams and Dances
An accessible concert experience for all ages: Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with original choreography by Julian Donahue Dance. Free outreach performances at the Northshore Education Consortium, Beverly Council on Aging, and performances for the general public at Manship Artists’ Residency, Gloucester and Waring School, Beverly.