Unalienable

the world premiere of Nina Shekhar’s Tic-Talk
w/ Dynasty Battles, MIDI keyboard
w/ music of Kile Smith and Michael Gilbertson

Saturday, October 18 @ 7pm

The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill

preconcert talk at 6pm

The Crossing’s first live performance of our 2024 pre-election video project, Cloud Anthem, on Richard Blanco’s poem that insists there is a way to come together, to measure the time “until we…” The world premiere of Kile Smith’s Let all the Strains of Joy (mingle in my last song), a gift to The Crossing, is heard alongside his earlier Rabindranath Tagore motet. The anchor of the concert is a world premiere from 2023– 2024 Resident Composer Nina Shekhar. Nina’s Tic-Talk evolves from her experience as a child with vocal tics to an examination of language—specifically, its policing. Philadelphia pianist Dynasty Battles joins us on MIDI keyboard, which contributes to the extraordinary sound world created by this uniquely imaginative composer. 

Tongue. Disturbed. Lips. First Amendment. 

Nina Shekhar’s Tic-Talk is commissioned for The Crossing and Donald Nally by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting; Nina was our 2023–2024 Resident Composer, made possible by a gift from Peter and Judy Leone.