Julia Wolfe's Her Story, a 40-minute theatrical work for orchestra and women’s chamber choir and orchestra, receives its world premiere on September 15, 2022 with the Nashville Symphony, Giancarlo Guerrero, and Lorelei Ensemble, with stage direction by Anne Kauffman, lighting and scenic design by Jeff Sugg, costumes by Marion Talan de la Rosa, and sound design by Andrew Cotton. The premiere will be followed by performances in 2023 by co-commissioners Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra,  National Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony.

About the work

Her Story invokes the words of historical figures and the spirit of pivotal moments to pay tribute to the centuries of ongoing struggle for equal rights and representation for women in America. The piece incorporates text that reflects the history of women's fight for equality, ranging from a letter written by Abigail Adams to words attributed to Sojourner Truth, to public attacks directed at women protesting for the right to vote, to political satire. Her Story is the latest in a series of compositions by Wolfe that highlight monumental and turbulent moments in American history and culture, and the people—both real and imagined, celebrated, and forgotten—that defined them.

Wolfe on Her Story

"Though we have yet to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, women have been battling for equality from the beginning of the nation. Her Story captures the passion and perseverance of women refusing subordination, demanding representation, and challenging the prejudice and power structures that have limited women’s voices. The dynamic vocal artists of Lorelei Ensemble team up with five major American orchestras to tell this important yet much neglected thread of American political history."

 

Read the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's preview here