jul 21, 2020 - Program: I Could Not Allow That To Stand

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On July 21, 2020 Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a speech that linked the rise in crime in New York City to the rise in poverty due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Afterward, Florida Representative Ted Yoho called her "disgusting" and a "fucking bitch." Reporters from The Hill overheard the exchange and wrote about it. The next day Yoho gave a non-apology to Congress. He denied his comments, and claimed that having a wife and daughters made him “cognizant of his language.” He ended with the inane assertion that he “cannot apologize for my passion, or for loving my god, my family, and my country.” On July 23, AOC responded on the House floor with a speech that went viral. She said that she was not “waiting for an apology, but what I do have issue with is using women—our wives and daughters—as shields and excuses for poor behavior.” Her words resonated with women and the targets of bullies everywhere. This song condenses AOC’s response.

Sections of her speech felt either like recitative or aria and I wrote the melodies accordingly—much of it with Lydian and Pelog scales. I've developed some rhythmic approaches to setting text over the last few years in my operas. And in this piece I tried them out in 6/8. This was partly because I was thinking about the popularity of the “triplet flow” in hip hop. I based the form of the piece on the modulation structure of Giant Steps by John Coltrane.

Lisa Eldredge & Concert Rebels co-commissioned I Could Not Allow That to Stand under the direction of soprano, Chelsea Hollow and I composed it for her. She premiered selections of it online at a webinar on Arts and Activism hosted by the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, February 11, 2020. -Jason Cady

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