Stare at the Sun

Works by Caroline Shaw, Missy Mazzoli, Edie Hill, Hans Abrahamsen, Kevin Puts, Judith Bingham, C.V. Stanford, and Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen

Saturday, April 29, 7:30pm
Queen of Angels Church
2330 W Sunnyside Ave
Chicago, IL 60625

Birds are ubiquitous in our world but occupy the periphery of our consciousness most of the time. We are so accustomed to their myriad songs—which form the backdrop of our environmental landscape—that we tend to notice them only in their absence throughout the cold winter months. This program explores the role that birds have played (and continue to play) in art, religion, and philosophy, providing an opportunity for the listener to contemplate the infinite and astounding variety of creatures occupying the natural world.

From ancient Baltic creation myths to the Book of Psalms, from Renaissance chansons to modern poetry about in-situ conservation, artistic and philosophical minds have been grappling with birds, not just as a taxonomic class of animal, but as a symbol, for all of human history. The over 10,000 species of birds on our planet have inspired countless artistic, metaphorical, and allegorical renderings. And this despite—or perhaps because of—their natural distance from us.