Davóne Tines & Jennifer Koh's EVERYTHING RISES to Premiere at BAM in October

Everything Rises, created by Jennifer Koh and Davóne Tines, composed by Ken Ueno, and directed by Alexander Gedeon will premiere at BAM October 12-15. Inspired by the recent outpouring of support and solidarity across racial identities in response to new surges of activism against violence targeting Black and Asian Americans, Everything Rises seeks to replace abstract slogans and inert diversity statements with lived experience and direct engagement. In an evening-length staged musical work about connection, resonance, and the creation of a new artistic space, Grammy-winning violinist Jennifer Koh and bass-baritone Davóne Tines, powerfully reclaim personal narratives through music, projections, and recorded interviews. Developed over multiple years by an all-BIPOC creative team, the project presents the need for platforms that center artists of color.

Everything Rises begins in the familiar cultural space of classical music, dominated by Eurocentrism and white normativity. When they meet each other, Koh and Tines share a flash of mutual recognition as classical performers acclaimed for their virtuosity, yet forced to code-switch and "corset" themselves in white institutions while countering stereotypes with scrupulous professionalism in order to survive. A BAM debut for both, the duo embarks on an inward journey to rediscover themselves, and through a musical dialogue, they gradually replace their defensive façade with a more authentic and unrestrained sense of self. Pulling from powerful family histories, Everything Rises asks what it would take for deep-seated grief, frustration, and anger to finally be recognized publicly. At the same time, these ancestral memories are full of wisdom, hope, and love. The piece is a symbolic monument dedicated to the boundless prayers, blessings, and sacrifices given so that children and grandchildren may live better lives.