ELLIPSES – An Anthem to End Wars
Created by Maria McManus & Keith Acheson | Produced and presented by Quotidian – Word on The Street in association with Belfast International Arts Festival.
This is how we will write the anthem to end wars,
a song for daylight in the morning
a song of stars in a night sky
swallows embroidering smart new clothes for the city.
In an ambitious collaboration of poetry and music Poet Maria McManus and composer Keith Acheson pitch a heartfelt and uplifting evocation of how we might galvanise peace, reconciliation and hope. The future they say, is at ‘point blank range’. It is ‘a target so unmissable’ it merits our best efforts, our ‘reckless generosity’.
In this vivid collaboration for soprano, wind and string quartet. The work explores discovery, uncertainty, wonder and awe, from the minute to the infinite – in shared places, ‘our blue home’.
Ellipses will feature the critically acclaimed Sheelagh Greer (mezzo soprano), Arco String Quartet alongside other musicians and speakers from across the island.
Credits
- Poetry – Maria McManus
- Composer & Conductor – Keith Acheson
- Soprano (s) Sheelagh Greer
- ARCO String Quartet
- Flute: Sarah Murphy
- Clarinet: Anne Harper
- Oboe: Paul McCrisken
- Bassoon: Colin Loughead