Pulitzer Prize-winning composition "Voiceless Mass" by Raven Chacon commissioned by Present Music
Wisconsin-based contemporary ensemble celebrates with release of the video of the world premiere performance
"a mesmerizing, original work for organ and ensemble that evokes the weight of history in a church setting, a concentrated and powerful musical expression with a haunting visceral impact." — Citation from Pulitzer Prize Committee
Present Music, a contemporary music ensemble in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, congratulates the composer Raven Chacon on winning the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Present Music, along with the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ and Plymouth Church UCC, commissioned the winning work in 2021 for their long-running concert series, now in its 40th season. "Voiceless Mass" was written specifically for the Nichols & Simpson organ and its space at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee. Present Music performed the world premiere on their annual Thanksgiving Concert; a video of that performance is below.
“Voiceless Mass” is scored for organ, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, two percussionists, strings and sine tones. Raven Chacon writes:
This work considers the spaces in which we gather, the history of access of these spaces, and the land upon which these buildings sit. Though ‘mass’ is referenced in the title, the piece contains no audible singing voices, instead using the openness of the large space to intone the constricted intervals of the wind and string instruments. In exploiting the architecture of the cathedral, Voiceless Mass considers the futility of giving voice to the voiceless, when ceding space is never an option for those in power.
About Present Music
Since its founding in Milwaukee in 1982, Present Music’s mission has been to commission and perform new concert music, bringing over 80 new works to life. Audiences “can almost always expect Present Music to bring on the unexpected” (The Shepherd Express) with programming that introduces innovative concert formats, embraces a broad diversity of repertoire, and makes the music of our time accessible to audiences with deep expression and serious fun.
The Present Music ensemble ranges from a core group of seven musicians to an ensemble of twenty or more. The group has worked closely with many of the nation's top composers, including John Adams, Henry Brant, David Lang, Caroline Shaw, Ingram Marshall, Missy Mazzoli, Bright Sheng, Roberto Sierra, and Michael Torke; and has a long and impressive track record for identifying outstanding talent early in the artists’ careers. Present Music is the winner of an impressive six ASCAP/Chamber Music America’s Adventurous Programming Award. Their discography includes world premiere recordings on the Argo, Albany, Aoede, Northeastern, Naxos, and Innova labels.
The group is led by Co-Artistic Directors violinist/composer Eric Segnitz and conductor David Bloom. Present Music was founded by conductor Kevin Stalheim, who was Artistic Director for the first 37 years of the ensemble’s existence until 2019.
About Raven Chacon
Raven Chacon is a composer, performer and installation artist from Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation. As a solo artist, collaborator, or with Postcommodity, Chacon has exhibited or performed at Whitney Biennial, documenta 14, REDCAT, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Borealis Festival, San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, Chaco Canyon, Ende Tymes Festival, 18th Biennale of Sydney, and The Kennedy Center. Every year, he teaches 20 students to write string quartets for the Native American Composer Apprenticeship Project (NACAP). He is the recipient of the United States Artists fellowship in Music, The Creative Capital award in Visual Arts, The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation artist fellowship, the American Academy’s Berlin Prize for Music Composition, and the Pew Fellowship. He lives in Albuquerque, NM.