‘sisila ila ila: saying goodbye’

Join us for the workshop premiere of sisila ila ila: saying goodbye, a unique musical work about the environment featuring shadow puppetry, whale songs, and celebrated violist <strong>Hsin-Yun Huang!

Juxtaposing a 1966 recording of a SaiSiyat indigenous singer from Taiwan with recorded songs of humpback whales, the voice of an inquisitive viola, and imagery developed with performers of a seventh-generation Taiwanese shadow puppet troupe, sisila ila ila: saying goodbye is a musical poem evoking a sense of longing for worlds that have been lost or maybe in the process of being lost. This work represents a fresh kind of theater that transports, visually and musically; — as if in a dream — to other worlds, calling upon all to listen to one another, embrace shared experiences of life, and dissolve apprehensions of separateness.

The performance will be followed by a talk and panel discussion with <strong>David Rothenberg</strong>, acclaimed musician and author of books on music, art, and nature. The reception will be hosted by the Center for the Environmental Studies, Rice University.