Projects

BLURRED ORIGINS: REDEFINING CULTURE THROUGH MUSIC

A new work for cello and piano that redefines cultural identity through the individual's experience

  • Project Created By

    Chelsea de Souza

    Chelsea de Souza is a Steinway Young Artist from Mumbai, India. A musician of varied interests, both solo and collaborative, Chelsea toured with the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, and was part of Oberlin’s Performance and Improvisation Series for two years, including a Young Artist residency with the Detroit String and Wind Society in 2015.

  • Project Location
    Houston, Texas
  • Composer
  • Key Collaborators
  • Project Dates
    Start Date
    December 15, 2020
    End Date
    October 30, 2021

BLURRED ORIGINS: REDEFINING CULTURE THROUGH MUSIC

A new work for cello and piano that redefines cultural identity through the individual's experience

Science tells us it is human nature to categorize the people we meet, yet we know there is so much more to every person than meets the eye. Our increasingly globalized and transnational society has blurred the lines of cultural identity beyond recognition, but our incessant cataloging and labelling regularly erases parts of us that are integral to who we are, limiting us to the most simplified characteristics of our identities. Our purpose in this project is to start a conversation about redefining culture through the creation, recording, and performance of a new work for cello and piano that draws upon our individual experiences. The work will exist alongside a collection of five filmed interviews. Three will be our own personal “origin stories,” and two more of friends and colleagues who faced similar experiences. To foreground each individual’s narrative, the musical work will be a multi-movement piece, with a movement dedicated to each story.

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