Lessons of Stone

Image: Isamu Noguchi, Brilliance, 1982. ©The Noguchi Museum/ARS. Photograph by Elizabeth Felicella.

Lessons of Stone was commissioned by The Astoria Choir, with Artistic Director Adam Eggleston, in celebration of their Tenth Anniversary. Composed specifially for performance at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City (Queens, NYC); the text and music is inspired by the life and works of sculptor Isamu Naguchi. It is designed as a choral sound installation—each movement is to be performed by a subset of the choir in a specific gallery, and the audience may wander through the museum to hear the music unfold. The work has a flexible duration, as each movement may be repeated an indefinite number of times. The premiere was originally scheduled for June 2021 and postponed due to the pandemic; it has now been rescheduled for June 7, 2024.

I hope for additional performances to be planned at some of the indoor and outdoor spaces designed by Noguchi in the US (Costa Mesa, Cleveland, Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, New Haven, Saint Louis, and Seattle) and around the world (Bologna, Jerusalem, Mexico City, Paris, Sakata City, Takamatsu City, and Tokyo), or at museums displaying his sculptures (such as the National Gallery in Washington DC). Please contact me if you may be interested in collaborating with me in one of the above cities.

Text

I. Fleeting

A year lasts a moment

A moment lasts a year

II. Floating

(no text; changing vowel sounds)

III. Falling

Falling from light

Falling from strength

Falling from truth

Backwards into darkness

IV. Lasting

When we are gone

They will still be brilliant,

They will still be calm.

When we are gone

They will still have purpose,

They will still have depth.

When we are gone

They will still be living.

They will still be here.

—Karen Siegel