Collaborative Arts Ensemble
Collaborative Arts Ensemble was founded in 2017 to provide a platform for artists of all disciplines to share in one another’s stories and to create the work they want to see in the world. Our roster consists of thirty world-class interdisciplinary artists dedicated to encouraging the fusion of artistic excellence with social consciousness in performance. Every concert created by CAE artists tell a story: text, music, and physical movement that embody a time of history, a social issue, or an important question. We tell our stories by fusing art forms into one another and celebrating each unique outcome, believing that these collaborations offer our audiences multiple entry points into every story shared.
CAE is the proud recipient of grant support from the Alan D. Marks Center at The Juilliard School, the NPR’s From the Top Alumni Leadership Grant, and were recently in residence at Avaloch Music Farm in Boscawen, New Hampshire where six members of CAE’s artist roster worked on our second touring program about Home. This fall, CAE will become the ensemble-in-residence at Blessed Sacrament Church (W 71st between Broadway/Columbus) as part of their Arts at Blessed Sacrament program. For more exciting updates, check us at out at https://www.collaborativeartsensemble.com/
“Letters of the American South”
Shenandoah Traditional
Jocelyn Zhu, violin
Matthew Maimone, piano
Excursions, Op. 20, No. 1 (Un Poco Allegro) Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Matthew Maimone, piano
Four Souvenirs: For Violin and Piano Paul Schoenfield (b. 1947)
Movement I: Samba
Jocelyn Zhu, violin
Matthew Maimone, piano
Memories (Part 1) Charles Ives (1874-1954)
Thomas West, baritone
Matthew Maimone, piano
Grief William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Thomas West, baritone
Matthew Maimone, piano
Orange Blossom Special Johnny Cash (1932-2003)
Jocelyn Zhu, violin
Daybreak in Alabama Ricky Ian Gordon (b. 1956)
Jasminn Johnson, vocals
Thomas West, piano
American Lullaby Gladys Rich (1904-1994)
Thomas West, baritone
Jocelyn Zhu, violin
Matthew Maimone, piano
Georgia on my Mind Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981)
Thomas West, baritone & piano
Jasminn Johnson, vocals & dance
Hard Times Come Again No More Stephen Foster (1826-1864)
Thomas West, baritone
Jocelyn Zhu, violin
Matthew Maimone, piano
Victoria Pollack, vocals
*Texts being read by:
Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) Harper Lee (1926-2016)
Eudora Welty (1909-2001) Richard Grant (b. 1956)
Harper Lee (1926-2016) Brené Brown (b. 1965)
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) Jasminn Johnson (b. 1993)
About the Program
“Letters of the American South” takes a journey through first-hand stories in the Southern United States (read by Actress Jasminn Johnson), placing Southern musical compositions in conversation with poems, letters, and literature from Southern writers. The performance is comprised of an experiential-based presentation where each paired letter and piece of music mark various moments in time, ultimately creating a kind of historical arch. Woven together through the diverse abilities of the performers (all of whom share through more than one discipline), the program brings the beauty and poignancy of these art forms into the room, offering each audience member multiple pathways into the South’s collective history and opportunities to explore the truths of a region powerfully shaped by community and conversation.
Learn more about Collaborative Arts Ensemble here.
Note: In the event of poor weather conditions, all concerts will be scheduled for the following day, Sunday at 1 and 3PM.
