A choral requiem drawn from the deepest expressions of the heart
Created by Bonnie J. Wallace and Paul Lewis |
Music by Paul Lewis |
Conducted by Jennifer Jett Cunningham |
Directed by Kate Carruthers
An original work created by Bonnie J. Wallace and Paul Lewis, Last Poem on Earth: A Jazz Requiem is based on the poetry of Bainbridge Island writers and features the Bainbridge Chorale. An uplifting work drawn from the deepest expressions of the heart, it appears as part of BPA’s 2006-2007 Community series and Bainbridge Chorale’s 2007 concert season.
Composer Paul Lewis conceived the project following his chance reading of Bonnie Wallace’s poem Blue Island Green Morning, one of many poems on display at the Bainbridge ferry terminal as part of the BIAHC’s 2005 Island Portraits Poetry Project. Lewis reflects, “It’s a lovely poem, and one line in particular had great resonance for me - How do we measure our lives?” Lewis soon placed a call inviting Wallace to collaborate with him on a poetry and music project. Through a series of conversations, their efforts grew to form a solicitation to Island writers of all ages for a performance piece based upon the premise, “the poem you would write if it were your last poem on Earth.”
Respondents enthusiastically supplied over seventy poems from which twelve were chosen for the project. Each selection was then adapted into a song for soloist and choir, and each song was, in turn, woven into a choral requiem, the writing of which took over a year.
Poem… is based on the poetry of Ann Batchelor Hursey, Abra Bennett, Robert H. Burmer, Mary Victoria Dombrowski, Mary Guterson, Janet Knox, Bob McAllister, Roger Midgett, Linda Owens, Joan Sutliff, Bonnie J. Wallace and John Willson.
The eighty-minute piece features soloists Sharon Acton, Katelyn Black, Dick Dearsley, Barbara Hume, Barbara Muller, Mark Power, Charleen Schneider, and Don Warkentin. Joining the Chorale for portions of the work are the
Bainbridge Island Community Youth Choir
directed by Kathleen Bullivant, the swinging and harmonious vocal group Side by Side directed by Karen Rice, and SoundWave. An eight-piece jazz orchestra provides the accompaniment.
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