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except as noted.

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allowed. Please be sure that all portable 

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The department of music produced

these program notes. Copyright © 2018

Board ofTrustees, National Gallery of

Art, Washington

Concerts are made possible in part

through the generosity of donors to 

the National Gallery ofArt through

The Circle. Reserved seating is available

in recognition of their support. Please

contact the development office at

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more information.

Cover Amedeo Modigliani, Gypsy

Woman with Baby (detail), 1919,

National Gallery ofArt, Washington, 

Chester Dale Collection

nga.gov/music

76TH SEASON OF CONCERTS

MARCH 18, 2018 / NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
Program

T he Canales Project

Carla Dirlikov Canales, singer

Crystal Monee Hall, singer

Margo Seibert, singer

Anja Wood, cello

Paula Green, percussion

Jacqueline Suskin, narrator

Kurt Crowley, music director

MARCH 18, 2018/3:30

WEST BUILDING, WEST GARDEN COURT

Hear Her Song

A musical celebration of extraordinary women

World Premiere

“Hear Our Song”

Music and Lyrics by Katy Pfaffl

“Without Doubt” (for Nancy O’Reilly)

Music by Madeline Myers

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“Beyond It” (for Soledad O’Brien)

Music by Tania Leon

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“What Greatness Is Possible” (forJenni Boelkens) 

Music by Sarah Elizabeth Charles

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“Diver” (for Kathleen Turner)

Music and Lyrics by Grace McLean

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“(in) your hands”

(for ChiefTheresa Kachindamoto)

Music by Kelly Moran

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“Creation of Equality”

(for Hillary Clinton)

Music by /Vnnastasia Victory

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“Be Bold Stand Firm”

(for Elsa Marie D’Silva)

Music by Emily Koh

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“Re-Creation” (for Celeste Mergens)

Music by Georgia Stitt

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“Witness ofAll” (for Michelle Obama)

Music by Carla Kihlstedt

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“One More Day” (for Linda Rendleman)

Music and Lyrics by Dina Fanai

Intermission

“You and I” (for Dasha Kelly)

Music and Lyrics by Morley

“Laurie Green” (for Laurie Green)

Music by Mazz Swift

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“Foster Love” (for Lynn Price)

Music and Lyrics by Shaina Taub

“Re-Design Our Time”

(for Ariela Suster)

Music by Molly Joyce

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“Shine a Light” (for Nadia Bushnaq) 

Music by JenniferJolley

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“Nancy Noel” (for Nancy Noel)

Music by Emily Hall

Lyrics by Jacqueline Suskin

“Porchlight” (for Michelle Kennedy)

Music and Lyrics by Tiffany Ayalik

“This is What”

(forJustice Sonia Sotomayor)

Music and Lyrics by Emily Estefan

“Ascend” (forJacqui Lewis)

Music and Lyrics by

Crystal Monee Hall

“Mercy” (for Sister Marilyn Lacey)

Music and Lyrics by Anna Dagmar

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The Canales Project (TCP) is a not-for-profit organization created to activate the

arts as a tool for social change and impact. Founded by the internationally acclaimed

mezzo-soprano Carla Dirlikov Canales, TCP seeks new solutions to challenges facing 

society by recruiting an “army of compassion,” a collection of artists each with his or

her own story about living “between two worlds” and of dealing with the tensions of

different cultural environments. Many of TCP’s programming initiatives are enacted

through collaborating with partner organizations, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill

Music Institute, TEDxMidAtlantic, and YoungArts. In addition, the organization has

spearheaded several arts educational initiatives, including “Finding Your Voice” with

the Boys & Girls Clubs ofTucson and “V-Pals.”

CARLA DIRLIKOV CANALES

Carla Dirlikov Canales is an internationally known opera singer who has also

established herself as a leader in the area of using the arts to advance important social

issues. She is a member ofthe President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities’

Turnaround Arts Program and was selected by Foreign Policy as one of its ioo Leading

Global Thinkers of 2015. As a singer, Dirlikov has received worldwide acclaim, 

including the Medal of Excellence from the Sphinx Organization, and is best known

for her role as Bizet’s Carmen, which she has performed in a dozen countries. As a

soloist, she has appeared at the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall,

and top venues in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. She is the founder and CEO of

The Canales Project, which aims to give voice to issues ofidentity and culture through

music and conversation.

CRYSTAL MONEE HALL

Crystal Monee Hall’s music is a prophetic fusion of folk, gospel, regional blues, and

soul. After playing numerous roles on Broadway and with the national touring

companies of the Tony Award-winning musical RENT, Hall released her debut album,

River Train, in 2012 and followed soon after with an EP, Three Days in Nashville. She

then toured internationally as the front woman of the Mickey Hart Band, led by the

Grateful Dead’s drumming legend Mickey Hart. The website Billboard.com premiered her new EP, If You Breathe, which features a cover of Lauryn Hill’s “Just Like 

Water.” Following Hall’s sold-out debut performance at the historic Apollo Theater,

she joined the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall in February 2018 and also performed

alongside Kesha in the 2018 Grammy Awards.

The Project

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Jacqueline Suskin is a writer, performance poet, and artist based in Los Angeles. She

is the author of two books, the more recent titled Go Ahead & Like It (Ten Speed

Press). Known for her project “Poem Store,” Suskin uses her manual typewriter to

compose on-demand poetry for customers who choose both a topic and a price in

exchange for a unique verse. Poem Store has been her main occupation since 2009

and has taken her around the country with her typewriter in tow. Suskin has been

featured in the New York Times, TMagazine, and the LA Times. She has performed at 

events for various organizations, including Art Basel, Los Angeles Contemporary, Art

of Elysium, and the San Francisco Museum ofModern Art. She often collaborates with 

fashion brands such as Alice + Olivia and Nasty Gal, finding endless ways to bring

poetry into the mainstream. Suskin also works as an educator, inspiring students to

write poetry, keep journals, and read books. She works with the President’s Committee

on the Arts and the Humanities as a Turnaround Artist and has been a visiting artist

at schools and colleges. She has also taught writing workshops at Wanderlust Hollywood and the Women’s Center for Creative Work, both in Los Angeles.

KURT CROWLEY

Currently the music director and conductor ofHamilton on Broadway, Kurt Crowley’s

previous work in theater includes Hamilton (Public Theater), Bring It On (Broadway),

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Off-Broadway), In the Heights (National

Tour), Carmen La Cuhana (Theatre du Chatelet), FLY (Dallas Theater Center), and

Somewhere (Hartford Stage). He has written arrangements and played for numerous

cabaret venues in New York City and also composed a song for the episode “The

Cookie Thief” of Sesame Street. After studying music and comparative religion at 

Harvard University, he received a fellowship to study classical and devotional music 

in North India. Crowley was also part ofthe creative team of Carmen: ElAmor Cubano,

one ofthe first professional productions of musical theater in Cuba in decades. Originally from Montana, Crowley has also interned and served as the education policy

adviser in the Montana Governor’s office.

JACQUELINE SUSKIN

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Program Notes

HEAR HER SONG

The Canales Project’s Hear Her Song initiative celebrates and gives voice to the remarkable stories of women who are changing the world for the better. Collaborating with

leading social advocacy organizations such as Vital Voices and the Women Like Us 

Foundation, Hear Her Song identifies women from various walks of life—from those

serving in the highest branches of government to those experiencing the horrors of

war and persecution—and honors them through the creation of new poetry and songs.

The project has brought together songwriters, musicians, singers, and artists who have

created music that offers powerful insights into the nature ofwomen’s leadership and

the challenges women face worldwide. The Canales Project is proud to present twentyone specially commissioned songs by today’s leading women composers and songwriters who are deeply committed to the importance of equal rights for women.

6

Upcoming Events of the SeventySixth Season of The William

Nelson Cromwell and F. Lammot

Belin Concerts

Unless otherwise noted, all programs

take place in the West Building,

West Garden Court.

Benedetto Lupo, piano

Featuring solo piano works by Debussy

Celebrating Cezanne Portraits

March 25, 3:30

The 6821 Quintet

Music by Michael Djupstrom,

Mamiko Hirai, and Kunihiko Murai 

Presented in conjunction with the 

National Cherry Blossom Festival and

the Ryuji Ueno Foundation 

March 26, 12:10

East Building Auditorium

Richard Stoltzman, clarinet 

Mika Stoltzman, marimba

Duo Cantando

Music by Bill Douglas, Chick Corea,

Toru Takemitsu, and John Zorn

April 1, 3:30

Heinavanker Ensemble 

Featuring ancient Estonian songs

and folk hymns

Celebrating Michel Sittow: Estonian Painter

at the Courts of Renaissance Europe

April 8, 3:30

Tamagawa University Taiko Drummers

and Dancers

April 13, 12:10

East Building Atrium

Fretwork

Featuring music by Alexander Goehr

and J. S. Bach

April 15, 3:30

Inscape Chamber Orchestra

Saint-Saens, Carnival of theAnimals, with

new verses by Marc Bamuthi Joseph 

Mahler, Symphony no. 4, chamber version

April 22, 3:30

The Westerlies

The Songs We Sang: American Vocal

Music ofthe 20th Century

April 29, 3:30

Julia Bullock, soprano 

John Arida, piano

May 6, 3:30

Ranky Tanky

Celebrating Outliers andAmerican

VanguardArt

May 13, 3:30

Christina and Michelle Naughton

Piano music by Mozart, Schubert,

Bolcom, Bach/Kurtag, Debussy, Chopin, 

and Lutosfawski

May 20, 3:30

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