Verdigris Ensemble

SHAMS was Verdigris Ensemble's largest program service in 2023 combining music poetry and multimedia to build cross-cultural understanding between Western and Middle Eastern perspectives. At the centerpiece was the world premiere of a new work by Iranian-American composer Sahba Aminikia setting the poetry of Rumi and the story of his spiritual transformation through his relationship with Shams Tabrizi. The music merged Western and Middle Eastern musical styles incorporating pre-recorded audio from modern protests to connect the ancient texts to current events. The choral-orchestral work was augmented by new music from composer Kevork Mourad and immersive visual projections. Performed over three nights at Moody Performance Hall to over 2,000 attendees SHAMS provided a powerful artistic platform to explore immigrant experiences and promote dialogue across cultures. By investing significant creative resources into spotlighting the Dallas area's large Middle Eastern diaspora community Verdigris brought a rarely-seen perspective to area audiences through the universal language of music.

Beautification was Verdigris Ensemble's third-largest program service in 2023 combining choral music with multimedia projections to tell the story of Ladybird Johnson's environmental advocacy. The centerpiece was David Lang's The Writings interspersed with new works commissioned from composers like Joel Puckett Olga Amelkina-Vera and Kirsten Soriano that celebrated native Texas flora. Projections incorporating artificial intelligence visualizations transformed the Dallas Contemporary gallery into an immersive highway landscape. Recordings of Ladybird Johnson's own words narrated her spearheading of the Highway Beautification Act. The performances provided an experiential journey into this pivotal environmental legislation by interweaving her historical journey with evocative music and visuals inspired by local painter Bianca Bondi's installations. Over 900 attendees experienced Beautification across three performances with a portion of ticket proceeds benefitting the Texas Trees Foundation's replanting initiatives. Through innovative artistic collaboration the program raised awareness about conservation efforts while spotlighting an influential First Lady's ecological vision for America's public spaces.

The Endangered was Verdigris Ensemble's second-largest program service in 2023 combining music visual art and advocacy to raise awareness about endangered species native to Dallas. The centerpiece was a multimedia performance of Sarah Kirkland Snider's Mass for the Endangered augmented with newly commissioned works spotlighting local endangered animals like the black-capped vireo and whooping crane. The music was accompanied by projections incorporating paintings by Dallas artist Cynthia Mulcahy animated through AI technology to create immersive experiences evoking sacred and natural imagery. Performed at the Dallas Contemporary Art Museum some ticket sales to benefit the Texas Trees Foundation's replanting efforts. The Endangered combined artistic excellence with environmental education engaging over 1,000 attendees across multiple performances while donating funds to promote conservation in the region. By shining a light on local ecology through a powerful multimedia concert experience the program increased public awareness and financial support for protecting endangered North Texas species and their habitats.