Music Senior Thesis Performances by Theo Peierls ’20E, “Roots Unbroken,” and Cristóbal Silva San Martín ’20E, “Portraits of Water”

The Amherst College Department of Music presents Portraits of Water, a composition project by Cristóbal Silva San Martín ’20E, and Roots Unbroken, a composition thesis by Theo Peierls ’20E. The concert is free and open to the public; seating is by general admission.

Silva San Martín’s Portraits of Water is a composition project honoring the power of water as a natural element. Aiming to call into question the relationship we, the human species, have come to establish with the environment we inhabit and with the resources we depend on, the project draws inspiration from the cycle of water, evolving through seven movements that depict its fierce and majestic qualities. Reckoning with past and present issues revolving around access to and uses of water, the piece hopes to act as an instance to envision a more sustainable and empathetic relationship to the element, while also calling to action to make such visions become reality. Performed by a seven-piece ensemble, the composition draws from several musical idioms, including minimalism, electroacoustic soundscape composition and Latin American folklore.

Roots Unbroken is a musical exploration of the cultural and geographic shifts that have influenced Jewish practices. Focusing on the idea of a musical diaspora, the project is framed by how forced emigration, shifts in religious life and patterns of assimilation have been represented in various musical styles associated with the Jewish people. Roots Unbroken comprises six pieces that engage with Jewish-American choral music, Klezmer music, Yiddish folk music and Ashkenazi liturgical music. Texts are drawn from psalms, verses and poetry and feature the work of poet Yossel Birstein. Soloists include Hazzan Diana Brewer, Allen Davis, Aaron Kropf, Hannah Goldberg ’22 and Patrick Spoor ’22.  

For a complete listing of upcoming Amherst College Department of Music events, visit us at www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/music/events.