Unalienable

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

Sunday, October 19 @ 3pm

First Presbyterian Church, Germantown

presented in partnership with Artcinia §

Tickets will be available soon via Artcinia

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. 

§ Artcinia partners with organizations like The Crossing in “a shared belief that everyone deserves access to the transformative power of the performing arts. Its flagship program Music in Your Neighborhood, in partnership with Partners for Sacred Places, brings community-driven, engaging, affordable performances to neighborhood spaces throughout Philadelphia and beyond, making the arts accessible to all.”

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.