Opera singer Briana Hunter and Julián De La Chica Honor George Floyd through music
Celebrating African World Heritage Day, IGM releases the recording of Chant 8, The Word, from De La Chica’s song cycle Op. 18: Dispersed and Transcendental Chants.
De La Chica composed this cycle based on the impactful story of George Floyd.
When I began the composition process, and after conversing with Briana, this idea came to mind. Briana wanted to honor the entire African heritage, recounting it through different poems, her stories, new perspectives, past and present, customs. The story of Floyd, still fresh at the time, could, for me, add that point of reflection on all the themes being addressed. There has been much injustice in the history of African countries, their citizens, and now, here in the USA, we continue to witness it. It was a tribute, a silent one, and also a mode of personal catharsis.
— Julián De La Chica
“I am drowning in my own words.
It is the poet and his martyrdom.
I cannot breathe.
The room is dark. I cannot see the word.
Is the word with God? Is the word with us?
I am dying in my own words.
Too many things are near.
My heart is very confused.
Be still, my soul. I want to chase my dreams.
But how? I cannot see anything.
In your hands is the world.
I cannot breathe, and you are just watching...”
Proclaimed by the 38th session of the General Conference of UNESCO (November 2015), African World Heritage Day (5 May) is an opportunity for people around the world, and particularly Africans, to celebrate the Continent’s unique cultural and natural heritage.
About Briana Hunter and her new album, the song cycle Op. 18
"METEORIC" (I care if you listen) rising mezzo-soprano Briana Hunter’s new release, Dispersed and Transcendental Chants, Op. 18, draws from the rich African diaspora’s cultural and spiritual traditions, featuring 12 pieces by Colombian composer Julián De La Chica, poems by Hunter and Rae De Vine and accompaniment by pianist Eric Sedgwick.
The album precedes Hunter’s extensive season at the Metropolitan Opera, including four productions.
Artists understandably can be intensely protective toward their own creative labors. But discussing Dispersed and Transcendental Chants with De La Chica and Hunter illustrates a harmonious process of give and take, sans preciousness or defensiveness. The result is a cycle at once individual and universal: the hallmark of enduring art since time immemorial.
— Steve Smith
The cycle integrates poems written by Hunter herself, and artist Rae De Vine. The final collection of poetry was curated by De La Chica, infusing a deeply personal touch into the musical narrative. The album artfully depicts a blend of African-American heritage and contemporary sounds, inviting listeners on a journey through the singer’s self-discovery through the lens of culture and lineage. The cycle explores the profound theme of connecting past, present, and future, offering a powerful study of the human experience and Black experience. Hunter notes, “We are everyone who came before us and everyone who will be. I think this cycle really achieves this effect.”
The deeply emotional album forges bridges between this world and ancestral veneration, African spirituality, personal confession, grief, and strength.
— I Care If You Listen
Dispersed and Transcendental Chants debuted in December 2022 on the stage of Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, which commissioned the cycle. The album is produced by De La Chica and his Brooklyn-based record label Irreverence Music Group.
Following the release of the album, Ms. Hunter will return to the Metropolitan Opera, gracing the stage to sing Mercedes in their new production of Carmen, Sister Lilianne in Dead Man Walking, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and Ruby/Woman Sinner in Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Notably, Hunter made her Carnegie Hall debut in her 2021-2022 season in an acclaimed performance of Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater with The Orchestra Now.
Currently, she is a Fellow with the Artist Propulsion Lab, WQXR’s program.