Sarah Burgess – vocalist. Another overachiever (maybe). But nonetheless a wonderful artist.
It must be so hard to be a singer. I can’t sing any ballad in my car without crying. Emotions just fill my heart and my mind and tears just emerge almost routinely. What I loved about Sarah Burgess’s recital was her honesty. I can only guess (this was with Julia’s help) that she’s in her 30s, so I assume that she’s been through, seen, felt, smelled, heard, experienced many things dark and bright. Her songs reflect this.
She opened the show with 2 almost “folk-sounding” songs then took the stage as a soloist with her voice and her piano. The second “solo piano” piece “Somebody,” was a piece that made you stop and think about your life. It had a very forward motion and it was very dramatic with Sarah hitting the keys hard and softer; the melodies were pretty short as well. This piece was kind of like, the Miss America’s response to a rhetorical question asking for a “world peace” answer. It addressed our “human-ness,” the little bit (or a lot) of ignorance we each carry around with us.
“We can no longer pretend that we are not related. We are human; we are together in this life.”
I can’t do a blog about music without addressing the beautiful, powerful triple meter. Sarah’s piece “No Room Left” was a really beautiful piece. She brought back her band (drum, bass, guitar, harmonica) and brought in to “back-up” vocalists. I think such an array of “instruments” along with the sincerity found within the lyrics really made this piece an enjoyable one. The back-up singers’ (oops, did I almost put “back-up dancers” ? haha) had great performance qualities also. It took me a while to figure out which singers I could relate to this piece, but I figured Conway Twitty and Dolly Parton. If a country accent was snuck into the vocals, this piece could just easily be a country music piece.
It’s hard being an artist, don’t you think? Dancers spend hours changing their bodies, painters practice brush strokes and mixing colors, designers compare and contrast styles, textures, colors, actors practice their faces, and singers… they find a way not to cry when they sing about the human condition. Aren’t we all human when it comes down to it?
Lose your virginity before the end of the year sneaks up and bites you: http://arts.cornish.edu/calendar/?&upcoming=upcoming&
Chastity! What beautiful observations. Your mind is so ready and willing to embrace any kind of emotion, because that is life and you should experience. I find it very brave! It is wonderful to hear that Sarah’s concert was so enlightening, personal, and beautiful. Your blog really inspired to do my best to see more cornish music concerts in the future.
Amy J
I agree. Sarah and her music is beautiful.
I feel inspired to comment on her piece “For Joe.” It was written in memory of Cornish Dance student Joe Sodd III. I seem emotionless when it comes to death, not because I don’t care, but somehow I seem to deal with it differently. This song brought tears to my eyes, which never happens. The simple lyrics, with each line in the phrase starting the same
Verse 1: They say dreams….. x4
Verse 2: So you dance… x4
Verse 3: Gone…. x3
Verse 4: Gone…. x3
To hear those words repeated 3-4 times each followed by things that you think about or do everyday makes one think about how sad it is for someone to never be able to do things ever again, and how much it hurts to lose someone so special.
The last line that is repeated is “Gone, there will never be another Joe.”