Recently announced, I was awarded a fellowship by the Forge Foundation to continue my compositional and cultural work. My project is "Requiem for America: Singing for the Invisible People.” This major work tackles the genocidal founding of America, giving voice to America’s Indigenous People. “Requiem” exposes a specific genocide in each state, juxtaposing genocidal texts from America’s founding against historical letters from American Indians themselves. In addition to the Western singers and orchestra, each performance will feature Indigenous singers recruited from local tribal communities. Once completed, it is hoped that “Requiem” will tour every state in the country.
I'm honored to received this important awarded. Thank you to Forge Foundation and its mission. I plan on including Mahican language in one movement of the Requiem, the part involving the Mohican removal. Note, linguists write the language with an "a" (Mahican) and the people with an "o" (Mohican). Thanks to our Stockbridge-Munsee Community for ongoing support of my work, especially Historic Preservation, Cultural Affairs, Language & Culture Committee, and our most respected Mahican linguist, Dr. Robert Shubinsky.
Pictured at the Forge link (above) is a single page from my "Touching Leaves Woman, a hand-notated manuscript inked on vellum, to honor our Lenape cultural treasure Nora Thompson Dean. That score is part of an exhibition at the Morgan Library and Museum in NYC this summer. Special thanks to Joe Baker and Lenape Center for the Morgan exhibit! I'll attach two photos from the exhibit immediately below the announcement. - BMD
From the Forge announcement:
I'm honored to received this important awarded. Thank you to Forge Foundation and its mission. I plan on including Mahican language in one movement of the Requiem, the part involving the Mohican removal. Note, linguists write the language with an "a" (Mahican) and the people with an "o" (Mohican). Thanks to our Stockbridge-Munsee Community for ongoing support of my work, especially Historic Preservation, Cultural Affairs, Language & Culture Committee, and our most respected Mahican linguist, Dr. Robert Shubinsky.
Pictured at the Forge link (above) is a single page from my "Touching Leaves Woman, a hand-notated manuscript inked on vellum, to honor our Lenape cultural treasure Nora Thompson Dean. That score is part of an exhibition at the Morgan Library and Museum in NYC this summer. Special thanks to Joe Baker and Lenape Center for the Morgan exhibit! I'll attach two photos from the exhibit immediately below the announcement. - BMD
From the Forge announcement:
| The Forge Project, a regional Native-led organization focused on decolonial education and Indigenous art, recently announced the winners of its 2023 Forge Fellowship. WAMC's Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas spoke with two of six winners. Brent Michael Davids is a member of the Stockbridge Munsee Community. He's a flutist, composer, and designer of musical instruments, who for five decades has written and performed different varieties of music of nearly every genre. "Orchestral, concert band, theater, ballet, jazz, folk music, American Indian music, modern dance, films and film scoring. And TV and radio," said Davids. Davids, who founded a recording studio on the Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation in Wisconsin, says he is happy to have connected with the Forge Project. "One obvious connection for me is in the arts, you know, for music and working on music," Davids said. "The other is that the Forge is located in my tribal homelands, our territory." The Forge Project started in 2021 in the Hudson Valley Pictured at the link is a page from "Touching Leaves Woman, a hand-notated manuscript inked on vellum... |
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