Creating inclusivity through rehearsal ritual

In “Pericles,” Anthony combines influences from Black musical traditions including gospel and R&B with Shakespearean verse to offer an updated take on shipwrecks, pirates, jousting tournaments, and epic journeys in the first public sharing of this work. Continuing The Fire Ensemble’s collective approach that centers intergenerational BIPOC communities, “Pericles” explores themes of grief and hard-won joy. Originally commissioned and developed by The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, Patrick Willingham, Executive Director Led by composer and artistic director Troy Anthony, The Fire Ensemble is an intergenerational choir community for New Yorkers currently being incubated by The Shed. With the intention of exploring new ways of collaborating with artists at the intersection of artistic practice and community-building, The Shed will provide space, resources, and strategic consultation to this project and its members, and count on them for creative leadership and thought partnership. The Fire Ensemble is for shower singers, professionals, and anyone in between. Our doors are always open to new members. Whether you are interested in coming to a single rehearsal or singing with us for the entire season, we welcome you to join our choir community as we explore the power of our individual voices to make music collectively. During free, weekly rehearsals, singers from different backgrounds and identities come together to use music and ritual as tools to explore collective liberation, intergenerational healing, radical relationships, and personal emergence. Though the invitation to participate in collective liberation is open to all, The Fire Ensemble is committed to centering BIPOC communities.