PROJECT DESCRIPTION

FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES: EXCERPTS IN CONCERT

In September 2021, after The Metropolitan Opera had been shuttered for over a year, the world renowned institution opened its season with the first work in its 138 years written by an African American composer— TERENCE BLANCHARD’s masterpiece Fire Shut Up In My Bones.

The production, which was a remount of the premiere at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2019, was performed eight (8) times for almost 30,000 people, not to mention the hundreds of thousands that watched The MET: LIVE in HD in theaters all over the world.

Not only is this a masterwork, but a cultural flashpoint. The message? That opera and classical music is for EVERYONE. In an effort to continue that message, Blanchard and The E-Collective have teamed up with David Balakrishnan and his double GRAMMY-winning Turtle Island Quartet and visual artist Andrew F. Scott to create a concert production that features excerpts from the opera performed by the composer, this incredible ensemble, and two (2) guest singers. The music and Scott’s video projections give the audience a look inside the mind of Blanchard, and the gravitational pull of the moment that he has created.

Since its inception, this project has been presented by SFJazz, Texas Performing Arts at UT Austin, Da Camera Houston & Modlin Center for the Arts. Upcoming engagements include Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust & Strathmore. Another six (6) engagements for the 2024-2025 season will be announced in the coming months.

BIO.

(See artist page for full bio)

FIFTEEN (15) TOTAL

• E-Collective & Turtle Island Quartet (nine (9) musicians)

• Two (2) singers

• Two (2) projectionists

• Two (2) crew