Thursday, 4/17/97 Performer bridges various genres in
collaborative effort Carnegie Hall-bound singer stresses personal
connections
By Jasmine Pachnanda Daily Bruin Contributor Soprano Dawn Upshaw
grew up singing with her older sister, accompanied by their father
on the guitar. Upshaw’s musical career began with folk songs of the
civil rights movement. Since then, she has moved beyond their
public school performances onto world-wide tours featuring a wide
range of music, including Broadway and opera. Yet, with her
upcoming performance in Los Angeles, she seems to have come full
circle with her repertoire. "Every program is different and each
one has their own message," Upshaw says. Performing with the San
Francisco Contemporary Music Players at the Veterans Wadsworth
Theater this Saturday, April 19, the first half of Upshaw’s
performance consists of pieces written between 1955 and 1965. All
composed by Americans, these pieces are followed by her performance
of George Crumb’s "Ancient Voices Of Children," which invokes a
folk sound reminiscent of Upshaw’s earliest performing days.
Crumb’s piece, set to the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca, offers a
collaboration of dance, music and singing, through which a strong
message of love and hope emerges. "This piece has a real strong
spiritual quality to it. Crumb has a unique musical style, and this
piece deals so much with a passion and love," Upshaw says. In order
to convey this passion to the audience, the musicians are forced to
move beyond traditional instruments and use more unusual tools.
They literally use tools – the mandolin player also plays a
ordinary saw with a bow, adding a surreal sound to the piece. Even
the conventional instruments are altered to produce arresting
sounds. The musicians accompanying Upshaw manipulate the sound of a
normal piano by playing with the dampers and strings inside the
piano. These sounds background the story of a mother and child’s
relationship. Accenting the emotional nature of "Ancient Voices of
Children," five movements of music and singing and two dance
movements help create a traditional folk mood. "There is this real
earth quality to this; it’s almost a folk element. It is more of
tunes and rituals and has less to do with classical music," Upshaw
says. "This relationship between mother and child can be broadened
to the connection between any person and the earth." Like the
politically-minded songs Upshaw sang as a child, this piece also
"teaches a passion and love for life experiences," according to
Upshaw. However, prior to this piece, Upshaw will perform a
compilation of various American pieces written within five years of
her birth date, highlighting composers such as James Aikman and
Andy Vores. "I come across so many different composers and I am so
fortunate to be able to see all this music that I’ve been looking
for a way to showcase it all. It’s difficult in this day and age to
do this because of the cost," Upshaw says. Nevertheless, Upshaw
will follow this Los Angeles performance with her solo debut at
Carnegie Hall in New York, which she anticipates with excitement.
"I am eager to meet the challenges of performing in such a glorious
hall and to see what the reaction will be," Upshaw says. Despite
the seemingly intimidating size of Carnegie Hall, Upshaw adds, "I
hope I will feel a real intimacy with the audience." Although she
has been surrounded by music her entire life, Upshaw did not really
look at music as a possible career until late in high school,
taking it for granted that "music would always be a part of my
life." Since then, she has gone on to work with famous composers
and perform throughout the world, as well as winning numerous
awards for her various recordings. Known for her inspiring ability
to sing contrasting genres of music, Upshaw feels that this helps
her grow as a person and musician. "I have many different interests
and I get tired of doing the same thing over and over. By doing
different types of music, it enhances my life experiences
musically, and as a person," Upshaw says. As a musician, she
realizes that some of the highlights in her career, such as working
with Peter Sellars on Handel’s "Theodora," have given her further
opportunities to grow and learn. "Anything that’s a highlight makes
me feel that I’ve learned something about myself," Upshaw says. "It
also makes me take the next step about what I can offer to the
audience and what I can appreciate and respect about people and
music." MUSIC: Upshaw, accompanied by the San Francisco
Contemporary Music Players, performs at the Veterans Wadsworth
Theater at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 19. Tickets are $33, $30 and
$9 for students. For more information, call (310)825-2101. UCLA
CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS American soprano Dawn Upshaw
performs Saturday.