New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On June 22 through 25, the "consistently thrilling" (NY Times) GRAMMYAward-winning choir The Crossing will present the world premiere ofFARMING, a stirring new work by two-time Pulitzer finalist Ted Hearne and directed by the "fervently inventive" (NY Times) artist Ashley Tata. FARMING tackles the long-tail impact of settler colonialism and its philosophical motivations on agricultural degradation, big tech utopianism, labor alienation, corporate religiosity, and the abstraction of community - and sets these interrogations to a unique soundworld that marries disparate strains of post-modern musics from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Says Hearne: "When Jeff Bezos traveled into space last summer, he said the journey was necessary in order to solve all our problems here on Earth. He also thanked Amazon employees for financing it through their labor. With FARMING, we wanted to visualize our own corporation, whose mission falls nothing short of the creation of a new world, and whose employees are literally being milked."
A new music video previews FARMING's interrogation of themes ranging from settler colonialism to corporate religiosity, as well as its alien and uncanny musical terrain. Watch the video - created by
Peter English, Ted Hearne, and Ashley Tata.
Performances will be held on Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, June 23, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.; andSunday, June 25, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. outdoors at
Kings Oaks Farm in Bucks County, PA. Casual, comfortable clothes, layers, and hiking shoes are recommended, and seating will be on wooden benches and similar surfaces. More information here: www.farming.crossingchoir.org
Written for and commissioned by The Crossing with support from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, FARMING is scored for 24 vocalists with guitars, percussion and electronics. Having been in development for four years,FARMING promises to be a major event showcasing Hearne's trademark stylistic eclecticism, driving rhythms, and explosive energy. What began as an idea to create a piece about food, farming, money, and the environment evolved into a large-scale production about land and its ownership, transfer, and labor, incorporating lighting, sound, and costume design with a six-piece band. Read more about the evolution of FARMING on Donald Nally's blog.
Performance Details:
FARMING
The Crossing
Donald Nally, conductor
Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 23, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Kings Oaks Farm | 756 Worthington Mill Road | Newtown, PA
Tickets: $30-$90
Link: https://www.farming.crossingchoir.org/
