Arts & Entertainment

A lasting legacy

‘Poetry into Song’ at National Presbyterian Church on March 5

Published

2 years ago

February 23, 2023

Diane Kresh (Photo courtesy of Jeanine Finch)

“Poetry into Song”
Washington Master Chorale
March 5 at 5 p.m.
National Presbyterian Church
4101 Nebraska Ave., N.W.
$40-60
washingtonmasterchorale.org

After 10 years as a singer and board member with Washington Master Chorale, Diane Kresh decided to end her tenure. But before leaving, she wanted to express her gratitude by gifting the group with something truly beautiful.

The result is composer David Conte’s “The Unknown Sea” a commissioned chorale piece based on the texts of famed American poet Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979). Originally the piece was slated to end the chorale’s 10th season in 2020, but because the pandemic had other plans, it’s now debuting as part of WMC’s “Poetry into Song” on March 5 at the National Presbyterian Church.

The idea, Kresh explains, was to create a legacy project, a gift to the chorale from her for many years of making music with a special group of people including WMC artistic director and dear friend Thomas Colohan. Also, Kresh wanted to include a salute to Bishop, whose detailed yet non-confessional style she greatly admires.

Kresh’s affinity with Bishop is partly based on similarities, both gay and feminists. Also, Kresh, who enjoyed a long career at the Library of Congress, appreciates that Bishop spent a brief stint as a consultant of poetry at the library many in 1949. But mostly, Kresh loves the work of women writers, and that’s something she wants to celebrate.

Bishop knew great success, friendship and romantic love, but her early years were marked by tragedy. She was a baby when her father died, and just a few years later her mother was permanently institutionalized with mental illness. For a time, Bishop lived happily with her maternal grandparents in Nova Scotia and then her father’s wealthy parents spirited her off to New England. She graduated from Vassar in 1934.

Using inherited private income, Bishop travelled broadly and frequently. Evident from her life and work is a search for home and an interest in coasts. She lived in Brazil for some time.

When Kresh’s commission was still just a thought, she and Colohan reached out to Conte, a prolific San Francisco-based composer who has written 150 works of which 40 involved the words of poets, both living and dead. Kresh wanted twenty minutes of music based on Bishop’s words with a mezzo soprano solo built in.

Initially Conte, who is gay, wasn’t sure if he was the right man for the job. He knew of Bishop’s poetry but not well. But the deeper he dove the more excited he became. And he had no objections to Kresh’s requests, so they moved ahead.

For his new choral orchestral work, Conte draws on Bishop’s “One Art,” a widely admired poem that’s at once deeply personal yet a throwback to tradition and reserve.

“It’s about losing keys, a house, and finally losing a loved one. Increasingly, the losses become more intense,” he says. “The tone of the poem is so interesting, a quiet but confident acceptance of loss as a part of life, wry and humorous and brave all at the same time. It took me a while to penetrate the personality that’s in the poetry.”

The commissioned work is an amalgam of queer talent. When a gay composer sets the words of a gay poet, there’s no question of shared experience. Conte says “While we have more freedom than Bishop experienced, there’s still a shared oppression, feeling like an outsider, having to discover identity because yours is inexact.”

For both artistic and practical reasons, WMC is pairing “The Unknown Sea” with Ralph Vaughan Williams’s cantata, “Dona Nobis Pacem,” based on work by gay poet Walt Whitman and texts from the Hebrew Bible and Latin Mass, re-orchestrated by British composer and conductor Jonathan Rathbone.

Both Kresh and Conte will be in attendance for this long-anticipated premiere.

“I’m excited, but a little sad I won’t be singing,” says Kresh. “It’s a sometimes bright, sometimes elegiac piece that has legs; I hope other groups and audiences will experience the same kind of joy that we’ve had making it.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch

LGBTQ politicians gather for annual event

Published

1 day ago

May 2, 2025

Michael Key

Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) speaks at the 2025 Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Victory Fund held its National Champagne Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday, April 27. Speakers included Tim Gunn, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.), Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Music & Concerts

Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’

Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Published

1 day ago

May 2, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Singer Tom Goss is back. (Photo by Dusti Cunningham)

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.

For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.

Calendar

Calendar: May 2-8

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

1 day ago

May 2, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, May 2

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Social in the City” at 7 p.m. at P.F. Chang’s. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, May 3

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

LGBTQ People of Color Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgment free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more information and events for LGBTQ People of Color, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.

Sunday, May 4

“The Chateau Drag Brunch” will be at 12 p.m. at Chicatana. Enjoy fabulous Mexican food and cocktails while being entertained by a rotating cast of the DMV’s best drag performers. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

“The Bubble: Queer Brooklyn Comics in DC” will be at 5 p.m. at As You Are. Queer comedians Charlie Flynn, Evan Lazarus and Keara Sullivan are coming down from NYC for a night of fun as they split an hour of standup comedy. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Monday, May 5

“Center Aging Monday Coffee & Conversation” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Tuesday, May 6

Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more details, email [email protected].

Wednesday, May 7

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older queer women can meet and socialize with one another. We will have discussion, activities, and a chance for you to share what you want future events to include. For more details, email [email protected].

Thursday, May 8

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. To be fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga with Sarah M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s website.

South Asian Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The peer support group is an outlet for South Asian-identified LGBTQ individuals to come and talk about anything affecting them. It’s a secure, judgment-free environment to discuss relationships, sexuality, health, well-being, identity, culture, religion, or anything that is on your mind. For more details, email [email protected].