Psophonia Dance Company Presents The Goddesses

(Houston, TX) Psophonia Dance Company with musical ensemble Chaski present The Goddesses, Friday and Saturday, November 20-21, 2015 at 8pm at The Barn. The program features live music and choreography set to Grammy® nominated composer Robert Paterson’s chamber work The Book of Goddesses (2010). The program also includes the premiere of Danza, a solo viola composition by Misook Kim and excerpts from Psophonia and Chaski’s first collaboration, Infinite Shapes of Creatures.

The Goddesses is the second collaboration for Artistic Director, Sophia L. Torres and Austin based ensemble, Chaski – Adrienne Inglis (flutist) and Shana Norton (harpist). The synergy of the collaboration stems from The Book of Goddesses by author Kris Waldherr which inspired Paterson’s score and sets the tone for each Goddess movement. Nine movements highlighting nine unique goddesses from different cultures and communities are aptly brought to life by Inglis, Norton,and guest percussionist and professor at Texas A & M Corpus Christi, Dr. Matthew McClung.

The Goddesses has been a labor of love over a year in the making. It first debuted January 2015 at Bethell Hall, St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas presented by Austin Chamber Ensemble. The simple, no frills performance offered the audience and intimate look at the group’s collaboration. The next evolution came with the addition of lights by designer, Edgar Guajardo, when restaged in August at the Alma Thomas Theater, Southwestern University in Georgetown,Texas. The latest version incorporates set pieces and narration that will guide the audience through the unpacking of each goddess. Every layer and venue has contributed to the development of the work along with the commitment of an amazing cast of three musicians, one composer, one choreographer and ten dancers from across Texas. The collected contribution brings the divine femininity of The Goddesses to Houston.

In addition to The Goddesses, Psophonia will premiere Danza a new collaboration with the University of Houston’s Aura Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Rob Smith. Danza, a solo viola composition by Dr. Misook Kim, Conservatory of Music professor at Wheaton College will be performed by UH graduate student and Aura Ensemble member, Nina Bledsoe. This work will be performed again at the Moore’s School of Music in April 2015. Torres, Inglis, and Norton collaborated for the first time in 2013 resulting in the production of Infinite Shapes of Creatures. The work featured music by American composer Alan Hovhaness’ The Garden of Adonis, based on excerpts from Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. Inglis and Norton will perform excerpts from this work.

A few words about the musicians:

Adrienne Inglis received a Bachelor of Music in Flute at Lewis and Clark College and a Master of Music in Flute at the University of Texas at Austin and has studied with Caryl Mae Scott, Scott Goff, Karl Kraber, and Bolivian zampoñero Fernando Jiménez. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from UT Austin. She teaches flute at Southwestern University and has freelanced extensively as a performing and recording artist in Central Texas for many years. She serves as principal flute of the Round Rock Symphony Orchestra. She recorded on the SpyKids 2, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, and The Children’s War film soundtracks playing as many as twelve different flutes. She also recorded on the 2011 video game Crimson Alliance.

Shana Norton graduated with highest honors earning a Bachelor of Music Education from Abilene Christian University and attended the Eastman School of Music, studying with Julia Hermann Edwards and Eileen Malone. In 1995 she graduated from The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs with a Master of Public Affairs degree. She plays principal harp with the Mid-Texas Symphony and the Symphony of the Hills. Ms. Norton has performed with the San Antonio Symphony, the Hot Springs Music Festival Orchestra, the Victoria Bach Festival Orchestra and the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra. She is a member of the Bouldin Creek Bobkat Band and the bluegrass/western swing group, Diminished 7.

Dr. Matthew McClung, percussionist, holds an engineering degree from the University of Cincinnati, a Masters degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and the first Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in percussion ever awarded by Rice University. Matthew has performed extensively in America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Nationally he has performed with the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Ballet Orchestra, the Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, OrchestraX, and the symphony orchestras of Arkansas, Austin, Corpus Christi, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston, Kentucky, Lexington, Maui, San Antonio, and Victoria to name a few. As a soloist, Matthew has been featured on the ChamberX concert series in Houston, on the NOVA series in Salt Lake City, Utah, on concert with the Shepherd School Percussion Ensemble, and has recorded original pieces written for him by Andrew Hasenpflug, Michael Barnhart and Thomas Osborne. Currently, Matthew is an associate professor of music at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, the principal percussionist of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, and the principal percussionist of the Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra.

Nina Bledsoe holds a Bachelor of Music degree and Master of Music degree in Viola Performance from Florida State University and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Houston. She has performed extensively in regional orchestras in Texas, Florida and Georgia as well as music festivals including the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, Lyrica Fest, and the Aspen Music Festival. In addition to being a full time doctoral student, Ms. Bledsoe is the violist in the Axiom Quartet (Houston, TX) and the Victoria Symphony Orchestra (Victoria, TX) along with running a successful private teaching studio in Houston, Texas.

Psophonia’s divine dancers for the evening are Stephanie Beall-Hall, Karin Celeste, Vi Dieu, Taylor McAnulty, Melissa Juneau, Kristina Prats, Arielle Tesia Rojas, Katie Rodrigues, Brittani Watts, and Erica Henderson. Joining the cast as narrator is guest artist, Gabriel Regojo. Show times are Friday and Saturday, November 20-21, 2015 at 8pm at The Barn, 2201 Preston Street, Houston, TX 77003. Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 at the door. For information and to purchase tickets, visit www.psophonia.com or www.chaskimusic.com.

Press interviews and photos are available upon request.