Amy Foote (soprano) presents 6 new musical-theatrical works from 6 Bay Area composers for solo voice and self-accompaniment. These pieces are based on her own personal observation and interactions with the animal kingdom. The resulting compositions move from the personification of animals into zoomorphism.
The genesis of this project stemmed from Miss Foote’s desire to connect with the animals in her urban surroundings. She observed the creative abandon of the mockingbird, the cannibalistic actions of a squirrel, and the spider sucking the life out of its prey. These animals, acting in accordance with their natural behaviors, seem far from the life we lead as humans. But rather than personifying these animals to make them more human, Miss Foote gives six musical accounts of animal behavior that recount the purity of an animal’s life through the lens of adaptation, motherhood, death, and survival. This zoomorphic perspective helps us reclaim our place in the cycle of nature, de-domesticating ourselves to return to pure actions and pure intentions.
Miss Foote’s musical presentation will be accompanied by an art installation (curated by Miss Foote), including images, paintings, and cultural emblems of personification and zoomorphism. Bay Area guitarist Matt Holmes-Linder will open the event with the world premiere of Garrett Ian Shatzer’s Winter Empties, Winter Fills, and a performance of Yawp by Belinda Reynolds.