THE 2023 CEDAR COMMISSIONS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH & SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18TH, 2023
All photos courtesy to Uche Iroegbu
The Cedar Cultural Center presented the twelfth annual Cedar Commissions, on February 17th and 18th, 2023, featuring new works by Biaban (Aram Kavoossi), Cydi Yang, Emily Boyajian, Fawzi, Sophia Deutsch, and Theo Langason.
Each night, three lead artists debuted their brand new works on The Cedar stage:
Friday, February 17th features Biaban, Fawzi, and Emily Boyajian, and Saturday, February 18th features Theo Langason, Sophia Deutsch, and Cydi Yang.
SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEWS
about the cedar commissions
The Cedar Commissions is a flagship program for local emerging artists made possible with a grant from the Jerome Foundation. Since the program began in 2011, the Commissions have showcased new work by over 60 Minnesotan emerging composers and musicians, including Dessa, Aby Wolf, Adam Levy, Maria Isa, Joe Horton, Joey Van Phillips, Gao Hong, Dameun Strange, and many more.
“It’s a true honor to continue supporting rising artists as they create new work and push themselves to explore new possibilities they haven’t before,” says Robert Lehmann, Community and Grant-Funded Programs Manager and program lead for The Cedar Commissions. “As a nonprofit music venue, one of The Cedar’s key commitments is support for emerging artists. Thanks to the Jerome Foundation, we’re able to amplify these six artist’s important voices and perspectives, and it’s an honor to support this group as they bring their visions to life. You may not know what to expect – but I’m confident you’ll find something to love about each of these incredible artists.”
The 2022-23 round of artists was selected by a diverse committee of Minnesota-based musicians, music industry professionals, and one Cedar staff. The 6 commissioned artists, each receive $5,000 plus $500 for performance costs to compose at least 30 minutes of new musical work to debut at The Cedar in February 2023. To date, the Commissions have supported the creation of new music by more than 60 local artists across genres. In the event that gathering restrictions are in place due to COVID-19 during the grant period, we will work with artists to make adaptations to the performance platform as needed.
MEET THE ARTISTS
Biaban (HE/HIM)
“OIL & DUST”
Despite its ubiquity and domination in the American way of life, oil in its material form goes largely unrendered in public consciousness. If we cannot see petrol as it is contained to our tanks and pipelines, “Oil & Dust” will soundtrack the petropolitical spell to which we are bound: a death knell for a viral planetary resource curse.
CYDI YANG (she-fluid)
"Soul Call"
In Hmong tradition, a soul calling ceremony occurs when the soul of a person leaves their body and becomes lost due to a traumatic experience, leaving the person to be sick, depressed, or overall unwell. "Soul Call" is about reclaiming myself–healing through art in connection to my roots, fused with the influences of my modern world. This set of songs are words with my younger/past selves as I navigated difficult/traumatic times in my life which altered the way I moved in the world. It is to call me back–to reclaim the pieces of me I lost during those life experiences. In utilizing all art forms I've come to love - dancing, acting, poetry, music (rapping and singing) I want to tell a story about my journey in healing and me returning back to who I was always meant to be.
Emily Boyajian (she/her)
“Transition”
"Transition" is a song cycle written by Emily Boyajian, a pianist, composer, and transgender woman living in the Twin Cities. Drawing on texts by the composer and other transgender community members, "Transition" explores the complexities of navigating transition and change, particularly gender transition and finding one's true self in a gendered world. The songs focus on topics such as the mixture of excitement and nervousness from starting a gender transition, dealing with “impostor” syndrome, facing discrimination, building self-confidence, and finding strength in community. Overall, "Transition" portrays trans people as neither monsters nor heroes, but simply people trying to find their personal path to a happy, fulfilling life. This performance features transgender singers, as well as several instrumentalists who are transgender and/or queer.
FAWZI (she/her)
“Caruurteena”
In "Caruurteena" (Somali for "our children"), DJ Fawzi aims to foster connection within the Somali community among kids, parents, and elders in the face of the wider growing fentanyl crisis and the distance that drug abuse often creates. Mixing in poetry, rapping, dancing, and positivity, she is intent on bringing community members together in the creation of this work, inviting youth, community leaders, and other artists into the process in order to foster empathy and support for youth who are struggling.
Sophia Deutsch (she/her)
“Vis Vitae”
n., vis vitae: vital force
We live in a time that doesn’t cease to provide reasons for grief. Vis Vitae aims to create pause to soothe internal dissonance and dysphoria in the way that nature knows to do so well. Inspired by theories of vitalism, the piece draws upon the visceral affects and fundamental vibrations of the natural world— that universal language of beauty and harmony which pulses and aligns. Sophia’s translation of these healing frequencies is a series of movements (meditations, ‘floatations’) written for chamber group, using elements of experimental composition and graphic scoring. “[She] who feels what [she] sees will find no more beautiful example of development in all that book which, alas, musicians read but too little— the book of Nature…” (C. Debussy, 1903)
Theo Langason (he/him)
“songs for making sense of it all”
“songs for making sense of it all” will be an attempt to use music/songwriting to make sense of the wreckage, rubble, and detritus left by the pandemic, uprisings, and every-day-american-life over the last three, 400, too-many-to-count years. How do we make it through? How do I make it through? This project will be part research and part audience engagement attempting to answer the questions: “How do you use art/music to make sense of the perpetual heartbreak and chaos of the world?” With sounds and lyrics and each other as the tools we have at our disposal, how can we take best care of our ever-breaking hearts?
Theo Langason is a multidisciplinary theatre artist, teaching artist, and musician based in Minneapolis. A graduate of Rutgers University–Camden with a degree in Theatre Arts, Theo has been working nationally and internationally as an actor, director, musician, composer, improviser, poet, and teaching artist for over a decade. Theo is a co-artistic director of Red Eye Theater, a member of Sandbox Theatre, and a member of Blackout Improv. As a teaching artist, Theo has worked with Guthrie Theater, Penumbra Theatre, and Upstream Arts. Theo has also worked with Ten Thousand Things, Park Square Theatre, Pillsbury House + Theater, and Stages Theatre, among others.
looking for information for next year?
If you missed the application period for the 2022-23 Cedar Commissions and would like information for next year, please sign up below! You will receive updates about the 2022-23 cohort and their forthcoming performances, as well as information about when to apply for the 2023-24 cohort.
Photos courtesy to Buck Holzemer
The Cedar Commissions is made possible in part by a grant from the Jerome Foundation.
The Cedar’s mission is to promote intercultural appreciation and understanding through the presentation of global music and dance. The Cedar is committed to artistic excellence and integrity, diversity of programming, support for emerging artists, and community outreach.