premiered April 14, 2017, at The Schneider Museum of Art, Ashland, Oregon
"My memory isn't what it used to be, but my cellular reactions to moments that have moved me, they remember. cope took me to a place of longing, grief, denial, and a strong desire to shift the consciousness of humanity. Shift it to a place that we have been before, and yet we have new knowledge to bring forward with us. That is a place of being a part of the magic, beauty, tragedy, movement, and being of this planet. We have moved so far away from this idea, and cope allowed me to see that even more clearly. It also gave me a sense of action—purpose, if you will—to help the shift occur. [I’m] grateful, Jared, for your sharing of this moving arrangement, that speaks so clearly to the humanity in me." — Matthew Reynolds
Program Note
I began writing cope in December 2016 as part of a commission by Matthew Reynolds for a Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration in Central Point, Oregon. An early sketch of the piece was presented there on January 17, 2017.
cope is born out of a desire to deconstruct systems, to simplify and rationalize a set of specific ideas in search of the ideal. The work is constructed using a series of improvised processes presented simultaneously with a tape of the performer breathing slowly, which is to be made the day of the performance. To me, this piece is a reprieve, an opportunity to reflect upon life and living while honoring those lost to senseless violence.