Voices of Mannahatta

No consideration of the complexity of American culture could be complete without considering the perspective of the indigenous people who were America’s sole inhabitants in 1491. Voices of Ascension commissioned composer Danielle Jagelski to write an extended ensemble narrative exploring the history and context of the piece of land on which the Church of the Ascension sits today in Manhattan, the island known by the Lenape as Manahatta. This work seeks to showcase the parts of history that have been obscured by colonization of the land on which Voices has performed so many of our concerts. In collaboration with musicians and multimedia artists, many of whom are members of North American tribal nations, the traditional and newly-composed works on this program will be sure to make us see the map and territory where we interact in a new light.