Kenosis, If a Soul Could Sing

The premiere public performance of “Kenosis,” an original composition of spiritual poetry set to contemporary music, will be 8 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Center Stage Theater, Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center in downtown Santa Barbara.

“Kenosis” is based on a collection of poems, “Kenosis: A Song Cycle,” written by English Professor Randall J. VanderMey. It is set to a score composed in 1999 by Steve Butler, associate professor of music. The sequence sets 24 poems to music for four voices, piano and percussion. The contemporary arrangement uses gentle melody, soulful rhythm, dissonance and strong percussive effects.

“If one’s soul could sing, how would it sound?” VanderMey asked. “The songs in this collection mark 24 stations of a soul’s journey. From childlike trust, through proud rebellion, betrayal, anger and hurt, the soul reaches its nadir in a cry for help. From that point, the soul’s ascent is marked by turning, cleansing, strengthening, waiting, rejoicing, and living with joy in the difficult world.”

Each poem captures the character of a specific stage in a soul’s progress, and each rendering of a poem as a song gives that stage its own musical expression. The pattern of the whole sequence is based on the analogy of “kenosis,” or self-emptying, of Jesus Christ.

Musicians in the performance include: Mary Dombek, soprano; Tihana Herceg, mezzo soprano; Robert Trentham, tenor; Kevin Dalbey, baritone; Neil Di Maggio, piano; and Matthew Talmage, percussion.

Admission is $10 and includes a copy of “Kenosis,” the book of poems used as the basis for this musical composition. Tickets may be purchased at the Center Stage Theater box office one hour before the performance or on-line at www.centerstagetheater.org.

“Kenosis” is offered to the Santa Barbara community for a one-time performance with support from the office of the provost at Westmont. The college has nominated “Kenosis” for the 2005 Arlin G. Meyer Prize, a national award offered by the Lilly Foundation for Christian work in humanities and the arts.

For more information, contact VanderMey at (805) 565-6079 or e-mail english@westmont.edu.