Talent & Phoenix

“Talent & Phoenix” is a large-scale song cycle (40-50 minutes) that will examine recent, catastrophic wildfires in Oregon from a number of lenses: first, from the vantage of those who’ve lost not only their homes, but in some instances their community centers. How does a community understand itself when, for example, its Main St. has been completely gutted by fire? How do we memorialize and make sense of loss of this scale at a time when news cycles seldom last longer than a week or two at most?

Second, the piece seeks to understand how unexpected coalitions—comprising loggers and conservationists, hippies and MAGA conservatives—have sprung up out of necessity in the face of shared material loss. What can this kind of cross-cultural/ideological coalition-building teach us about how we might find common ground at a time when we are, as a nation, deeply divided? To what extent is that division real, as opposed to a cruel mirage summoned by those who profit and consolidate power by convincing us that our neighbors are our enemies?

Third, and finally, the piece seeks to contextualize the past decade’s record-setting wildfires within a broader history of the natural maintenance of ecosystems. When does man-made development impede mother nature’s ability to self-regulate through wildfire? How can communities engage local and federal governments to meet the looming threat of wildfire in a rapidly changing climate? And what might the challenges of governmental intervention teach city-dwellers about the philosophical and spiritual roots of the urban/rural divide?