PREACH SISTER, PREACH showcases award-winning Katherine Jolly's "agile, bright lyric soprano" voice (The New York Times) on a series of pieces that are distinctively individual in their inspiration while cohesively united by the passions of their composers. Collaborating with pianist Emily Yap Chua, Jolly evokes the passion and curiosity of Emily Dickinson's poetry in Evan Williams' Emily's House, a collection of ten poems in which she communicates the lyrics such that one could imagine the voice being that of the poet's herself. A keen observer, Dickinson used images from nature, religion, and science to probe universal themes: the wonders of the natural world, the identity of the self, death and immortality, and love. Together Jolly and Chua breathe incredible new life into these ideas, delivering a personal and profound performance while transporting modern audiences to another place and time. Jolly turns to inspiration of a more contemporary and crucial nature on Absent an Adjustment in which her voice, ominous and purposeful, floats above and around the strings, frequently in a dissonant duet with the clarinet, heightening the intense spirit of the piece. The acrobatic coloratura vocal line, use of repeated motives and text, combined with the highly rhythmic ensemble in Katherine Bodor's Absent an Adjustment, support it's message of urgency in the face of ecological disaster. Acclaimed composer Evan Mack was inspired by the energy of the first women's march to craft Preach Sister, Preach, a song cycle which explores and celebrates the voices of ten powerful women such as Lucille Ball, Mae West, Simone de Beauvoir, Tina Fey, and Ellen DeGeneres. The intricate collaboration of Jolly and Chua succinctly portrays the power of the quotes from these women and, in doing so, offers both musical and lyrical insights into the women themselves.

Tracklist:

Emily's House (10 Poems From Emily Dickinson): No. 1, I Dwell In Possibility
Emily's House (10 Poems From Emily Dickinson): No. 2, The Name - Of It - Is "Autumn"
Emily's House (10 Poems From Emily Dickinson): No. 3, The Bee Is Not Afraid Of Me
Emily's House (10 Poems From Emily Dickinson): No. 4, Within My Garden Rides A Bird
Emily's House (10 Poems From Emily Dickinson): No. 5, These Are The Days When Birds Come Back
Emily's House (10 Poems From Emily Dickinson): No. 6, I'm Nobody! Who Are You?
Emily's House (10 Poems From Emily Dickinson): No. 7, Wild Nights - Wild Nights!
Emily's House (10 Poems From Emily Dickinson): No. 8, Dawn
Emily's House (10 Poems From Emily Dickinson): No. 9, Glee! The Great Storm Is Over!
Emily's House (10 Poems From Emily Dickinson): No. 10, The Shelter
Absent An Adjustment
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 1, Simone De Beauvoir
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 2, Mae West
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 3, Gilda Radner
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 4, George Eliot
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 5, Lucille Ball
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 6, Daphne Du Maurier
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 7, Lizz Winstead
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 8, Leslie Jones
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 9, Ann Landers
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 10, Gloria Steinem
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 11, Natasha Scripture
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 12, Lucille Ball
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 13, Tina Fey
Preach Sister, Preach: No. 14, Ellen Degeneres

UPC: 896931005449
Label: Navona
Release Date: 8.9.19
Format: CD

Boder / Jolly / Harper - Preach Sister Preach (CD)