The chance to co-compose and a mutual love for sweet tea has inspired a new song cycle by Dr. Lawren Brianna Ware and Mezzo-soprano, Kaswanna Kanyinda.
In this interview with WXXI's Brenda Tremblay, they reflect on the quest that sparked a new work Tea Leaves, to be premiered on Thursday, September 25th at 7:30 p.m. in the Tower Fine Arts Center Mainstage (180 Holley Street in Brockport, New York.)
Their song cycle was the inaugural winner of the Catherine Russell Composer Prize in collaboration with The University of Michigan and The George Shirley Competition.
This song cycle poetically examines tea’s role as a commodity, its accompanying rituals, and its enduring influence on the lives of Black communities. Through its melodies and verses, Tea Leaves invites listeners to steep in a deeper understanding of how this humble brew sustained and shaped generations within the context of their struggles, joys, and everyday lives.
Dr. Lawren Brianna Ware, a Gadsden, Alabama native, is a graduate of The University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned her DMA in Music Composition with a minor in musicology. Compositionally, Dr. Ware’s goal is to “write music that makes one feel.”
Mezzo-soprano, Kaswanna Kanyinda, has been praised as a “talent to keep a sharp lookout for.” This past season, she worked as a young artist at Fort Worth Opera, Opera Theatre Saint Louis, Finger Lakes Opera, and has won many prestigious awards.
This culminating concert of the Opera (Un)Tapped residency with Opera On Tap (Rochester) features Tea Leaves, the inaugural winner of The Catherine Russell Composer Prize.