Soprano Laurel Irene Will Perform at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles Next Month

Soprano Laurel Irene, alongside guitarist Jaxon Williams and pianist Richard An, will perform Reena Esmail's The Space Between (Chuti Hui Jagah) and John Harbison's Mirabai Songs on February 5, 2022 at 7 PM at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, as part of the Resonance Collective's Golden Thread Concert Series, a monthly exploration of musical performance as spiritual practice.

The pieces on the program explore Hindu mysticism, identity, and appropriation, as well as the experience of living 'in between' different states of spiritual and psychological being. Artistic Director Fahad Siadat states, "Laurel Irene's expressive and expansive lyricism brings to life the quiet introspection of Manav Kaul's contemporary poetry and the fiery ecstasy of the 16th Century Hindu saint Mirabai."

Commissioned by the Millennial Music Festival, Indian-American composer Reena Esmail's The Space Between (Chuti Hui Jagah) is a song cycle consisting of three poems by Indian playwright, actor, and poet Manav Kaul, written and sung in Hindi. According to the composer, "Kaul's work... provides a very special insight into the world of modern India through its native language," as each poem "dwells in a different space between two objects, two events, two states." The piece was originally premiered in 2015 by mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen and guitarist Colin Davin at the Tenri Cultural Center in New York.

John Harbison's Mirabai Songs sets six poems by the 16th-century Hindi mystic poet and Bhakti saint Mirabai, who devoted her life to Krishna after her husband died in the war against the Delhi Sultanate in 1518. Translated by Robert Bly and sung in English, Mirabai Songs explores Mirabai's deep sense of worship and religiosity, as well as the persecution she faced as a practitioner of bhakti. Written in 1982, Mirabai Songs was originally premiered in 1983 by soprano Susan Larson and pianist Craig Smith.

Tickets for all concerts presented by the Resonance Collective are pay-what-you-can with a suggested ticket price between $25 - $50. Tickets can be purchased at resonancecollective.org/calendar. In accordance with federal health recommendations, the Resonance Collective will be implementing a mandatory vaccination policy for all performers, staff, and audiences, who will be asked to show proof of vaccination before entering the concert venue. Face masks must be worn at all times while attending the concert.