Ayanna Woods: SHIFT, I. Refrain

performed by the Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble of the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music
Donald Nally, conductor
October 31, 2022
St. Luke's Episcopal Church | Evanston, IL
audio/visual by Keenan Recordings
music and words by Ayanna Woods
Why do we build monuments in stone?
Stone is brittle. When it cracks, it cuts to your churning core, America.
Tectonic plates collide; you shift in your seat.
I want a monument we imagine and reimagine and reimagine-
A monument we grasp and heave and bend in a long arc
bursting through the cracks in the story you tell, America.