The Anti-Imperialist Song Cycle

The Anti-Imperialist Song Cycle fuses operatic singing, modal jazz, modernist classical, and the riff structures and rhythmic phrasing of hardcore punk to deliver strident lyrical messages about the crimes and culture of American empire.

Soprano Amanda Zory, pianist Walter Aparicio, and composer David Pearson started collaborating on a new type of art song that fuses operatic singing, modal jazz, modernist classical, funky vamps, and the riff structures and rhythmic phrasing of hardcore punk. Pearson’s lyrics offer strident political critiques of our present-day dystopian dilemmas. At this concert, Zory and Aparicio will be performing Pearson’s Anti-Imperialist Song Cycle in full in addition to new compositions, such as “November Russian Roulette Ritual” (about the American election cycle).

David Pearson is a composer, saxophonist, and music historian who teaches at Lehman College. He is a member of the Afrofunk band Digital Diaspora, and his first book, Rebel Music in the Triumphant Empire: Punk Rock in the 1990s United States, was published in 2021 by Oxford University Press. https://punkinthe1990s.com/

Amanda Zory is a dramatic soprano who specializes in Wagner, Verdi, and Strauss repertoire. Notable roles include Ortrud in Lohengrin with the Miami Music Festival at the New World Center, Turandot at the National Opera Center, and Elektra with the New York Chamber Music Festival at Symphony Space. Amanda has been featured on the PBS program “Poetry in America” and in the vocal showcases of The Metropolitan Opera Guild at Lincoln Center. She is also an avid performer of new music, and regularly guest lectures on opera at the eight senior colleges of the City University of New York. www.amandazory.com

Known for the warmth and conviction of his performances, pianist Walter Aparicio explores issues of cultural background and identity through his concerts and workshops. His album, Aires Indios: Piano Music of Bolivia, was released in 2015 by the MSR Classics label. Mr. Aparicio is on the artist roster of Cayambis Music Press, a leading publisher of works by Latin American composers. www.walteraparicio.com

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