diagenesis (d ī ' ə - j ĕ n ' ĭ - s ĭ s) 1. The process of chemical and physical change in deposited sediment during its conversion to rock.
2. A duo of Heather Barnes, a soprano based in Helena, MT, and Jennifer Bewerse, a cellist based in San Diego, CA. They facilitate the process of musical change during its conversion from imagined art into live performance. They also rock.
Diagenesis was formed when Heather and Jennifer met during the 2010 soundSCAPE Performance and Composition Exchange in Maccagno, Italy. While walking between rehearsal locations and working together in a chamber ensemble, they formed a mutual artistic admiration and became fast friends.
In their first three years as an ensemble, Diagenesis Duo has been able to commission and premiere nine new works for soprano and cello, perform in diverse venues from concert halls to community centers, bring their work to six states and two countries, and were recently recipients of the Myrna Loy Center Grants to Artists Award. Their work has also given them the opportunity to collaborate with prestigious performers and institutions such as The Banff Centre for Performing Arts, the University of Florida and of South Florida, Music from Salem, Boston Conservatory, Joel Krosnick, Tony Arnold, Scott Klucksdahl, Charles Curtis, Susan Narucki and Nan Hughes, and as the guest artists in residence at UC San Diego’s Springfest.
The duo has worked extensively with school children, and, as a result of their belief that new music allows children to tap into their natural creativity, they have developed NewSonics, a weeklong new music workshop for kids. NewSonics features composition, improvisation, instrument making, and performance, and was recently awarded a NewMusic USA Project Grant to commission Adam Tinkle to write Sympathetic Magic, a five-movement work for cello, soprano, and improvising children’s ensemble.
Dedicated to providing young people and the community with musical access, Diagenesis frequently performs concerts that facilitate a dialogue between the audience and performers with the goal of building an empowered audience for contemporary music.
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