We at WordSong believe that contemporary American society has lost the connection to artistic experience as an effective means of personal and social reflection. Composers today have, in large part, failed to engage listeners in an appealing and thought-provoking way; they have traveled down wonderful yet often very foreign roads of musical expression and simply expected audiences to follow without question. As a result, new music is often simply played at the audience, when it needs to be presented with the audience as an active participant. WordSongwill help begin to bring about this change.
WordSong is a new concert format in which one text is presented in multiple, newly composed settings and is the focus of directed conversation among composers, performers, and audiences. This format can be applied to various venues, from nouveau salons to educational forums to public concerts. WordSong’s goal is to reconnect musicians and listners through shared, active artistic experiences. It is a public conversation about intuitive musical understanding.