The Concord Band’s Winter Concert on March 2 will be the world premiere of The Invisible Girl, commissioned by Concord Band flutist Ellen Feldman, who wished to create an adventurous composition of modern music “in appreciation of the band’s expansion of her musical horizons.”
Feldman and Music Director James O’Dell commissioned composer Mason Bynes, who holds a Master of Music in composition from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, to create the work for the symphonic band. After consultation, Bynes based her composition on a comic book that Feldman created, The Dancer as … the Invisible Girl.
The Invisible Girl reflects Bynes’ appreciation of minimalist and Copland-esque music in three movements: “A Struggle Between Friends,” “The Veiled Woman Revealed,” and “Becoming Visible.”
The third movement incorporates a video, also named after Feldman’s comic book and created and produced by Nicole Pierce, who performs as the main character. The video was filmed and edited by Guggenheim and Fulbright recipient Sam Kauffmann.
In her notes to the music score, Bynes writes, “These three movements capture The Invisible Girl’s whirling power and agility, Karisma’s (the Invisible Girl’s nemesis) veiled and vengeful soul, and the coming together of two women whose seemingly polar identities encourage one another’s visibility.”
O’Dell selected additional music in keeping with the evening’s theme, Dances! The program includes Robert Russell Bennett’s Suite of Old American Dances, Claude Debussy’s Danse — Tarantelle Styrienne and George Gershwin’s American in Paris.
The concert starts at 7 p.m. on March 2 at the 51 Walden Performing Arts Center. Admission is free, with a $20 donation requested. The comic book, The Dancer as … the Invisible Girl, will be available for purchase. More information about the concert and premiere is available at www.concordband.org.
