submitted by Julia Moreno Perri, Houston, TX
click to play: Woman Stand Strong by Julia Moreno Perri
Originally written for a training video for Women Organized Against Rape, this song was my response to the interviews I witnessed. The women showed great courage and strength in sharing their stories for the video and I was very moved by this experience.
submitted by Aaron Alon, Houston, TX
click to play: Breaking the Silence by Aaron Alon
I began work on Breaking the Silence knowing only that I wanted to write a piece about child abuse, a horrific social illness which is alarmingly pervasive in our society. Aside from writing a brief text – which is sung by the soprano, who represents a small child singing a children’s song of her own invention – I sought to have the direction and social statements of the piece guided by the interviews of survivors: the freely-spoken words and/or the writings they chose to share. These interviews compose the tape portion of the piece and tell, in words, stories more powerful than a writer could manufacture or a composer could mimic. My work on this piece allowed me to bring their stories together, to interweave them, always seeking to have their words understood, but allowing the audience to experience, through spoken vocal polyphony, the struggle of breaking the silence, of having one’s words heard. I am aware that the piece is controversial. My only hope is that the volunteers who shared their stories will gain from being heard and that this may help others to break their silence too.
The four survivors who were interviewed were Mike Migura, Michelle Fellow, “SafeAtLast,” and Anonymous. In live performance, the piece is performed in surround sound with a live soprano (Laura Botkin on this recording) and a soprano on tape (Angela Mortellaro).
You are invited...
to submit to Break the Silence Project.
Break the Silence Project encourages the exploration of issues surrounding sexual violence through creative means in order to promote self-expression, to provide a possibility for healing and community-building, and to further raise public awareness and dialogue on these subjects.
Help raise awareness about sexual violence. Share your story, write a poem or a song, make a drawing or painting, take a picture, cut and paste... Whatever works for you.
Recent Comments
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