This past August, J. Mark Scearce was awarded this year's Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Composition at the University of Connecticut for his piece This Thread for solo mezzo, solo violin, and orchestra. This article by Paul Gambil of the Orchestra Nashville discusses the "back-story" of this award-winning piece-which was commissioned by Mr. Gambil and sets the text of Toni Morrison's poem, The Dead of September 11.
Excerpt:
"...Beyond that, I felt Mark had captured the essence of Morrison's words in a way I couldn't have anticipated. Mezzo soprano soloist Marietta Simpson summed it up nicely to me in a message after the performance, saying 'The blending of the solo violin, solo voice and orchestra felt to me that we represented the different parts of creation joining together to lament this great tragedy caused by hatred, while looking forward to the day when we can discover and respect the ways in which we are all the same.'"
The article also includes a sound clip from the striking premier of this poignant piece.
See the full article here.
