Eugene weekly., May 17, 2018, Page 21, Image 21

MUSIC
B Y TAY LO R P E R S E
BREAKING
MUSICAL
BARRIERS
A singer and a pianist seek to change
classical performance in the era of #MeToo
E
ugene Soprano Emma Lynn realized something wasn’t
right in the realm of classical music. She noticed that
songs traditionally sung by men are received different-
ly — even negatively — when performed by women.
Romantic qualities in a male performer are seen as
possessive and annoying behaviors in a woman.
“The fact that we are not already enraged about this is a
symptom of its normalization,” Lynn says.
At the crossroads of feminism and classical music comes
Lynn’s reimagined version of one of Franz Schubert’s most
important works. By changing the narrative in Schubert’s
Die Schöne Müllerin, Lynn has created her opus for the
#MeToo movement.
She’ll perform the song cycle Sunday, May 20, in Junc-
tion City.
Die Schöne Müllerin is a 20-song narrative cycle — a
set of songs used to tell a story throughout its performance
— sung in German. In the story, the narrator is in love with
the Miller’s daughter, Müllerin, who ultimately rejects his
love for another man.
A lively and passionate young woman who got her mas-
ter’s degree in music at the UO in 2017, Lynn says that al-
though a woman is the central character of the cycle, her role
is minimal compared to the traditionally played male narrator.
“That has always been a little bit of a thorn in my side
as the feminist that I am,” she says. Lynn was inspired to
engage and question tradition, even though she met with
some resistance for wanting to change the cycle.
Lynn first considered performing the cycle last fall,
when the Harvey Weinstein scandal came to light. She says
#MeToo sparked interesting conversations in the world of
music because classical music is a predominately white
and male tradition.
She realized performing classical works that rely on sex-
ist tropes leads to the continued silencing and ignoring of
women.
Lynn will sing the part of the narrator, and is intention-
ally changing the traditionally male role to female. This
means two of the three characters involved in the narrative
cycle are women.
“If we are only hearing stories where women are silent
or passive, that has a direct effect on how we perceive other
people in our society,” Lynn says.
When Lynn first proposed the idea to other people in the
classical music realm, though, she received some pushback.
“I was met with some resistance of, ‘Well, this cycle
is written for a man. Why don’t you sing something that’s
written for a woman?’” Lynn says.
The singer wants to inspire other artists to change how
these musical works have been portrayed in the past, hop-
ing it will open up the possibility for other pieces like Die
Schöne Müllerin to be seen from different perspectives.
“We have to take active control in changing the narrative
so it celebrates and uplifts women’s voices,” Lynn says.
Lynn’s accompanist, Andrew Pham, takes on a full the-
atrical role in the performance. The piano music represents
its own character in the cycle as the brook. The piano part
is written so the music portrays the brook’s reactions such
as chuckling or anxiety, often conversing with the narrator.
Pham has been collaborating on the song cycle with
Lynn since its initial stages. At first, he was hesitant to
change the role from male to female.
“I thought, ‘Well, I’m not sure.’ That was the point; it
made me think a lot about it. I think if it opens up conversa-
tions, it will be really great,” Pham says.
Pham and Lynn agree they want a balance between
pushing boundaries on historically sexist traditions while
also honoring their appreciation for the music in its histori-
cal context.
“We both really like the music. It all comes from a place
of deep love and respect for the music,” Lynn says. ■
Emma Lynn and Andrew Pham perform Die Schöne Müllerin 3 pm Sunday, May
20, at Junction City United Methodist Church. No reservation is necessary, but
donations will be welcomed at the door.
SOROMUNDI JUST CAN’T KEEP QUIET
The Eugene lesbian chorus celebrates nearly 30 years in song
W
hen Eugene’s Soromundi Lesbian Chorus
began in 1989, nine people met in founder
Karm Hagedorn’s living room to sing.
Now, almost three decades later, 85
women are involved. They will be perform-
ing their spring concert this weekend at the Hult Center.
Soromundi Lesbian Chorus, a nonprofit women’s choir,
began with the hopes of forming a “women-positive com-
munity” says Lisa Hellemn, the director of 20 years.
“It wasn’t a political thing,” she says. “Anyone who
walks through the door has a place.”
Kate Barry, president of the chorus board, has been per-
forming with Soromundi for the last 24 years.
“It was quite a big thing at that period to be out as a
lesbian in that chorus,” Barry says. The chorus strives to
be an open and inclusive environment.
Each year, the Soromundi Chorus participates in a va-
riety of concerts for the community, Barry says. This year,
along with their winter and spring concerts, they sang at
Holiday Market, Lane Community College and the Wom-
en Veterans Memorial dedication in Springfield.
“Our priority is outreach and singing for a wide variety
of people,” Barry says.
This year’s spring concert theme is communication; the
concert is titled “We Can’t Keep Quiet.”
Barry says all the songs on the program include refer-
ences to communication, from letters to phone calls. The
show will incorporate a variety of genres such as folk, jazz,
pop and rap.
The first half of the concert will feature songs revolving
around old school communication like letters, toasts, danc-
es and protests. The second half of the concert centers on
digital communication and the different social influences
technology has.
“People get a lot of joy out of our performances,” Barry
says.
Hellemn believes everyone involved should get a
chance to know what it feels like perform at a nice place.
“I think it’s really amazing that they can go to the Hult
Center and put on a big show at the end of the year,” she
says. ■
Soromundi Lesbian Chorus’ annual spring concert is 7:30 pm Saturday, May
19, in the Hult Center’s Soreng Theater. Tickets are $22 to $25 at hultcenter.org
eugeneweekly.com • May 17, 2018
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