I’m excited to announce the premiere of my new piece Staring Contest featuring text by Sean Williamson will take place on Wednesday, April 14th at 7:30 CT. Realized during a “virtual residency” with Khemia Ensemble, Staring Contest features excerpts from the award-winning short story “Never the Hero” by Wisconsin writer Sean Williamson.
The live-stream premiere can be viewed in the embedded video above or via Khemia’s YouTube page.
Williamson’s “Never the Hero” was recently awarded the Hamlin-Garland short story award from the Beloit Fiction Journal. Judge Michael Byers wrote, “This story demonstrates a writer in full command – moving across a whole life in a handful of pages, finding damage and solace in unlikely moments, its people carrying their hearts forward into one question after another.”
Staring Contest reflects the waves of uncertainty, despair, and hope that flow throughout “Never the Hero.” The vocalist floats through a richly woven sonic texture that is haunted by the opening question “How can you know if someone’s dead if you’ve never seen them alive?” Memories and visions fill the musical texture, offering moments of solace but also prompting further questions with no easy answers.
Special thanks to the members of Khemia Ensemble, who recorded Staring Contest remotely over the past several weeks.