Chelsea
Hollow
Schedule
Recent Highlights
Chelsea Hollow
Ms Wordsworth
Dates
Chelsea Hollow
Helen Chavez/Ethel Kennedy
Dates
Chelsea Hollow
Princess Gilda
Dates
Description
Brooklyn Art Haus
20-26 Marcy Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Brooklyn Art Haus (BAH) presents: Cycles of Resistance, a recital of new commissions by soprano Chelsea Hollow aiming to expand perspective. Hollow says, “I believe that art can serve us in a variety of ways: we can escape into fantastic worlds; we can laugh, smile, and breathe together; we can gain perspective and empathy.” The music and texts journey through a series of international resistance movements over the last 120 years; they are powerful, sometimes tragic and serve to add perspective, catharsis, and clarity. This project began as Hollow’s longing for her artist community during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. With a call for proposals, she invited composers to submit ideas which addressed issues important to them and their community. The 24 songs represent diverse perspectives and languages not yet common in the classical canon: Mandarin, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, Sanskrit, and Czech in addition to English, chronicling examples of human resilience: Chinese feminist poetry from the early 1900s; a Dutch sonnet on love conquering all evils; the unity of young Czech girls imprisoned in Room 28 at Theresienstadt Internment Camp; a reminder that all humans are part of the disability community at some point in their lives; maternal hesitation, clarity, and urgency in the Flint, Michigan water crisis; harrowing tales of the Turkish Femicide; Prayers of Peace from the traditions of Islam and Hinduism; & inspiring speeches by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and activist Valarie Kaur.
Program includes:
Darkness of the Womb by Niloufar Nourbakhsh
Autumn Begonia by Sophie Xuefei Zhang
The Beauty of Disability by Molly Joyce
Al kan kuşak by Özden Gülsün
AOC Takes the Floor by Jason Cady
Prayers for Peace by Myron Silberstein
Chelsea Hollow
Recitalist
Dates
Description
The 222 Art Gallery presents: Cycles of Resistance, a recital of new commissions by soprano Chelsea Hollow aiming to expand perspective. Hollow says, “I believe that art can serve us in a variety of ways: we can escape into fantastic worlds; we can laugh, smile, and breathe together; we can gain perspective and empathy.” The music and texts journey through a series of international resistance movements over the last 120 years; they are powerful, sometimes tragic and serve to add perspective, catharsis, and clarity. This project began as Hollow’s longing for her artist community during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. With a call for proposals, she invited composers to submit ideas which addressed issues important to them and their community. The 24 songs represent diverse perspectives and languages not yet common in the classical canon: Mandarin, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, Sanskrit, and Czech in addition to English, chronicling examples of human resilience: Chinese feminist poetry from the early 1900s; a Dutch sonnet on love conquering all evils; the unity of young Czech girls imprisoned in Room 28 at Theresienstadt Internment Camp; a reminder that all humans are part of the disability community at some point in their lives; maternal hesitation, clarity, and urgency in the Flint, Michigan water crisis; harrowing tales of the Turkish Femicide; Prayers of Peace from the traditions of Islam and Hinduism; & inspiring speeches by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and activist Valarie Kaur.
Chelsea Hollow
Recitalist
Dates
Biography
Chelsea Hollow “has rewritten the book on the potential of musical activism” creating art that invites her audiences to think collectively and gain perspective. In this time of political, environmental, and social unrest, Hollow cherishes her mission as an artist to amplify marginalized voices, build capacity for empathy, and harness a venue for community healing. In 2019, she commissioned, curated, and toured with her feminist recital, Voice for the Voiceless. This work inspired a call for proposals in 2020 which brought together composers and librettists from around the globe to musically chronicle activist movements from the 20th and 21st centuries in eight different languages. In recognition of this project, Chelsea was invited to present a talk on Art and Activism (2021) for the United Nations’ Office of Human Rights in collaboration with Freemuse where she premiered one of these commissions, “I Could Not Allow That to Stand”, Jason Cady’s setting of a speech by his congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The rest of the 2020 commissions received their premiere performance in Cycles of Resistance (2022), Chelsea’s solo recital with pianist Taylor Chan at Old First Concerts. In addition to her solo work, Hollow was sought out by the San Francisco Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (RASOTA) Vocal Department to create a program for students to work on from home. Hollow created, The Young Activist’s Songbook (2021), commissioning song repertoire for young voices using texts by Bay Area high school students, The Kids and Art Foundation, and other anonymous community members. Highlights from the 21 commissioned songs include, “Being a Student in 2020” (Emily Shisko), “The Future Holds Water in a Wicker Basket” (Joel Chapman), and “I am Growing” (JooWan Kim). The world is ever changing and Hollow looks forward to using her passion, training, and vision to create classical music that is impactful and personal, even beyond her solo projects. In traditional operatic productions, Chelsea has performed locally in the Bay Area, throughout the United States, and internationally. Known for her “soaring high range” and “stage panache,” favorite roles include Die Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte/Mozart), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos/Strauss), Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail/Mozart), Olympia (Les Contes d’Hoffmann/Offenbach), Lakmé (Lakmé/Delibes), and Marie (La Fille du régiment/Donizetti). Recent soloist appearances include Concerto for Two Orchestras (Gubaidulina) with the Berkeley Symphony, Carmina Burana (Orff) and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra and Judas Maccabaeus by Handel with the San Francisco City Chorus. As in-person performances return, Chelsea is thrilled to bring a depth of artistry to her more traditional performances as well as cultivating ever more opportunities in creating new works, challenging social norms, and updating her societal role as an artist with a mission. For more information on Chelsea’s work and upcoming performances, please visit chelseahollow.com.
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