NS+: Mariana Sadovska + Daniel Bernard Roumain "On the Frontlines"

These riveting composer-musicians, one known as the “Ukrainian Björk” and the other hailed for his genre-defying explorations, will perform and discuss their haunting work during this unusual National Sawdust+ evening.
Sadovska will perform The Night is Just the Beginning, a powerful solo piece spun from her time on the front lines of her native Ukraine. Traveling with aid transports, she has given many benefit concerts along the eastern border since the Russian invasion in 2014. Her reimagined folk songs feature her singular, transfixing vocals as well as piano, sounds of the harmonium, and electronic soundscapes.
DBR will share live excerpts and film clips from We Shall Not Be Moved, the chamber opera acclaimed for its brooding, often joyful score combining spoken word, classical, R&B, and jazz singing. The spellbinding work, created with Marc Bamuthi Joseph (libretto) and Bill T. Jones (director/choreographer), is a timely exploration of past and present struggles, and the beauty of resistance. The opera tells the story of five North Philly teens who find refuge in an abandoned, condemned house in West Philadelphia – the very site that served as the headquarters of the MOVE organization, whose 1985 standoff with police infamously ended with a neighborhood destroyed and 11 people dead, including five children.
About National Sawdust+
National Sawdust+ is a lively performance and conversation series in which luminaries from across disciplines share their passion for music and explore ideas, making surprising connections. The series taps artists and thinkers from theater, film and visual art, literature, science and beyond, to create insightful programs that reflect their own interests. Whether through live performances, conversations, or readings, each program has its own alchemy, engaging the audience in new and unexpected ways. Often topical, and always imaginative, National Sawdust+ is an ideal space for those with curiosity, adventure, and vision.
National Sawdust