where is the west?
who shall fix its limits?
he who attempts it will soon learn
that it is not a fixed but a floating line.
-Elizabeth Cooke, 1858
Hunger - The Journey of Tamsen Donner
an operatorio in one act by composer Tom Baker
based on poetry by Ruth Whitman
To be presentd by Seattle EXperimental Opera (SEXO)
March 14 and 15, 2008
8:00 PM
Tickets: $15/$5
The Chapel at Good Shepherd
4649 Sunnyside Ave North (in Wallingford)
Seattle, WA
PRESS RELEASE
READ the libretto
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INFO for Good Shepherd
With:
soprano Maria Mannisto
clarinetist Jesse Canterbury
percussionist Greg Campbell
bassist Brian Cobb
guitarist Tom Baker
Production and Set Design by Alissa Rupp
Lighting Design by Reed Nakayama
Text from pgs. 15, 19-20, 28-29, 37, 43-45, 49, 53, 58-61, 64-65, 67-72, 75 from Tamsen Donner: A Woman’s Journey. Copyright © 1977 by Ruth Whitman. Reprinted with the permission of Alice James Books.
Mountain photo by Mike Warren, mountainphotography.com
| HUNGER tells the tragic tale of the Donner Party through the eyes of Tamsen Donner, the matriarch of that ill-fated group of pioneers. The Donner family and their fellow travelers were determined to make it to the promised land - the California territory. After struggling across the prairie and the desert, losing most of their oxen and cattle, and nearly dying of thirst, they were convinced to modify their route by a hired guide. They reached the Sierra mountains, just miles from their destination, only to be trapped for months by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished. Some survived by resorting to cannibalism. They all experienced unimaginable suffering. The music of Tom Baker and the poetry of Ruth Whitman combine to give a moving account of this journey, told through Tamsen Donner's re-imagined words, thoughts and songs. | ||
photo by Alissa Rupp
