© rehearsal photo Cody Smyth
In 2007, O+A took on the challenge of setting the text of the Requiem Mass for four solo voices, thereby transforming the
8-channel installation into a full scale Requiem performance. Vocal lines were extracted from the tuned resonances of
cities and composed into interweaving choral music that emerged from the texture of the urban soundscapes. The dramaturgy
was extended to the relationship between humans, machines and nature in the late fossil fueled age.
O+A performed the fully-integrated and re-composed version of Requiem for fossil fuels in an 8-channel mix with the four
unamplified voices of Hai-Ting Chinn (mezzo-soprano), Martha Kluver (soprano), John Young (tenor), and Joshua South (bass)
in New York City, October 19th and 20th, 2007, at the Judson Memorial Church.
Requiem for fossil fuels was presented by Ear to the Earth 2007 and produced by Electronic Music Foundation. This project
was commissioned by Harvestworks with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts. Additional funding by
Österreichisches Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur, SKE & Austro Mechana, Stadt Linz, Austrian
Cultural Forum NYC and Land Oberösterreich
watch video on youtube