The Anchoress by David Serkin Ludwig and Katie Ford

Soprano Hyunah Yu, the PRISM Quartet, and Piffaro, The Renaissance Band present a new one-woman monodrama that combines voice with modern saxophones and period instruments, inspired by a real historical phenomenon: the medieval Christians (mostly women) who became “living saints” by sequestering themselves in permanently sealed “anchorholds” (cells) attached to churches. The Anchoress “conjures a time of medieval mysticism, but the social dynamic it highlights—one that honors women only by relegating them—is not bound by any era” (The New Yorker). This monodrama, created by poet Katie Ford and composer David Serkin Ludwig, is a work of deep meaning enriched by “unusual, if not unique… effect[s] made beautiful” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

The Anchoress explores struggles with faith, alienation, gender, and social power through the imagined person of a Medieval anchoress. Anchorism as a movement lasted throughout early Christianity to about the time of Shakespeare; and though it was a gender-neutral practice, at its height women anchorites outnumbered men four to one. An anchoress would permanently sequester herself into a small cell attached to a church. She had one small window through which to speak to townspeople coming to her for guidance. Her daily life resembled a prayerful funereal rite, as she would remain in the “anchorhold” until her eventual passing. By withdrawing from the world and choosing a form of death, she became a “living saint” in the eyes of the Church.

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Poet Katie Ford writes, “With the surge of Christian nationalism in America, I believe more than ever we must have writings that display a diversity of Christianities—not one crystallized creed but a great variety of thought and practice, a variety that has historically been present since the very first moments of the early Christian period. I hope The Anchoress can be one such writing. Further, I believe readers are tired of ironic renderings of faith and doubt, and since poetry will always be a locale in which language presses as far as it can until it reaches the unsayable, and then stands in reverence of the unsayable, a sincerity of posture is warranted. The anchoress, in her confusion and bewilderment, is sincere. She knows she is limited in her knowledge, and she deems the delivery of empty promises an enormous trespass. Her questions are existential, and just as people travel to her cell to seek wisdom through her window, Americans flock to therapists’ offices, they seek the advice of their priest, rabbi, imam, spiritual advisor, life coach, and so forth. Many such forms are secular, but the impulse is the same. We need each other. We need the wisdom another person might be able to offer us.”

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The Composer: David Serkin Ludwig

David Serkin Ludwig‘s music has been described as “arresting and dramatically hued” (The New York Times) and “supercharged with electrical energy and raw emotion” (Fanfare).

Ludwig has written for many prominent artists, including Jonathan Biss, Jennifer Koh, the Dover and Borromeo quartets, eighth blackbird, ECCO, and orchestras including the Philadelphia, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, and National Symphonies. In 2013 his choral work, “The New Colossus,” was selected to open the private prayer service for President Obama’s second inauguration. In 2012 NPR Music selected him as one of the Top 100 Composers Under Forty in the world. His 2017-18 season highlights included the premiere of a concerto written for pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, commissioned by the Bravo! Vail music festival in honor of their thirtieth anniversary.

Recent highlights include a violin concerto written for his wife, acclaimed violinist Bella Hristova; the concerto was commissioned by a consortium of eight orchestras across the United States. Other recent commission and performances include Titania’s Dream for the KLR Trio, Swan Song for Benjamin Beilman commissioned by Carnegie Hall, and Pictures from the Floating World commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra for bassoonist Daniel Matsukawa and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Born in Bucks County, P.A., Ludwig comes from several generations of eminent musicians including grandfather Rudolf Serkin and great-grandfather Adolf Busch. He holds degrees from Oberlin, The Manhattan School, the Curtis Institute, The Juilliard School, and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Ludwig serves as the director of the composition faculty of The Curtis Institute of Music, and is the Gie and Lisa Liem Artistic Advisor and director of the Curtis 20/21 Contemporary Music Ensemble.

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The Poet: Katie Ford

Katie Ford‘s poetry collections are published by Graywolf Press, and include Deposition, which confronts God, violence, and Christian belief; Colosseum, named “Best Book of 2008” by Publishers Weekly, and which explores the theme of ruination and pulls from Ford’s personal experiences as a resident of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina drove thousands out of their homes; and Storm which continues on the theme of ruination with a focus on the efforts to escape New Orleans in the aftermath of the hurricane. Her individual poems and essays can be found in many contemporary journals and reviews, such as American Literary Review, The New Yorker, The American Poetry Review, The Paris Review, Seneca Review, Ploughshares, Poets & Writers, and Pleiades. Ford teaches at the Department of Creative Writing in the University of California, Riverside.

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Guest Artist: Hyunah Yu, soprano

Applauded for her absolutely captivating voice with exceptional style and effortless lyrical grace(Washington Post), Soprano Hyunah Yu has garnered acclaim for her versatility in concert and opera roles of several centuries, for her work in chamber music, for her support of new music written by contemporary composers, and for her recorded and broadcast performances. Known particularly for her performances of the music of J.S. Bach, Hyunah has appeared regularly with esteemed conductors, festivals and orchestras throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. An avid chamber musician and recitalist, Ms. Yu has enjoyed re-engagements with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Baltimore’s Shriver Hall Concert Series, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the Vancouver Recital Society, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., Musicians from Marlboro, and many others. A highlight of Ms. Yu’s opera career was singing the title role in Peter Sellar’s new production of Mozart’s Zaide in the joint production of the Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, the Barbican Centre and the Wiener Festwochen played in New York, London, and Vienna. She has recorded Bach and Mozart Arias on EMI’s Debut Series and solo recitals broadcast for the BBC Voices program. Hyunah was a prizewinner at the Walter Naumburg International Competition and a finalist in both the Dutch International Vocal and Concert Artist Guild International competitions. Upon the nomination of the pianist Mitsuko Uchida, she received the coveted Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. Ms. Yu also holds a degree in molecular biology from the University of Texas at Austin.

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Guest Artists: Piffaro, The Renaissance Band

Piffaro delights audiences with highly polished recreations of the rustic music of the peasantry and the elegant sounds of the official wind bands of the late Medieval and Renaissance periods. Its ever-expanding instrumentarium includes shawms, dulcians, sackbuts, recorders, krumhorns, bagpipes, lutes, guitars, harps, and a variety of percussion — all careful reconstructions of instruments from the period. Piffaro presents an annual subscription concert series in the Philadelphia region; tours throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and South America; and appears as performers and instructors at major Early Music festivals. Recordings are a significant part of the ensemble’s work, and 18 CDs have been released since 1992, including 4 on the prestigious label Deutsche Grammophon/Archiv Produktion.