What She Wrote
Texts by Emily Dickinson, Sappho, Mary Shelley, Virginia Woolf, and Akiko Yosano
Music by Asuka Kakitani featuring Quince Ensemble
New Release on September 27th 2024
Pre-orders start on September 6th, 2024
Tracklist
- In This Short Life (Text by Emily Dickinson)
- The Mountain Moving Day (Text by Akiko Yosano/Translated by Hiroaki Sato)
- The Muses (Text by Sappho/Translated by John Myers O’Hara)
- No Birds Singing (Text by Asuka Kakitani)
- A Room of One’s Own (Text by Virginia Woolf)
- Therefore (Text by Mary Shelley)
All compositions by Asuka Kakitani
Performed by Quince Ensemble
Amanda DeBoer Bartlette, soprano
Kayleigh Butcher, mezzo, soprano
Liz Pearse, soprano
Carrie Hnneman Shaw, soprano
Recorded at Wild Sound Studio, Minneapolis, MN, on December 5 and 6, 2023
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Steve Kaul
Produced by Asuka Kakitani and Scott L. Miller
Cover photo by Bryan Murray
CD Design by Asuka Kakitani
Asuka Kakitani is a fiscal year 2023 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
One Sheet:
What She Wrote is a journey through the voices of powerful women writers who have shaped our literary landscape. Japanese-born composer Asuka Kakitani has created a musical bridge connecting her heritage with the timeless words of Emily Dickinson, Sappho, Mary Shelley, Virginia Woolf, and Akiko Yosano. Performed by the acclaimed Quince Ensemble, Kakitani’s compositions bring these voices to life, inviting listeners to explore the hidden influences of the women who came before us.
Kakitani was inspired by an article by Brigid Delaney, in which she wonders about the unexpressed talents and stories of her women ancestors. Delaney writes, “there wasn’t a lot of room back then to create beautiful things of your own. Imagination – that hinterland where ideas are born – needs acres of time, not just snatched minutes between cooking and cleaning.” This led Kakitani to wonder about her own Japanese women ancestors, whose unknown lives and creative voices are obscured by the passage of time.
What She Wrote sings the words of women who defied the constraints of their eras to leave a lasting impact through their words. Kakitani constructs each composition as a dialogue with these writers. The first piece, a rendition of Dickinson’s “In This Short Life,” begins with a delicate refrain that swells to a powerful crescendo before gently receding, inviting us to contemplate the power we possess in these ephemeral moments we call life. “A Room of One’s Own” weaves Virginia Woolf’s powerful words that emphasize the necessity of personal space and financial freedom for women to fully realize their artistic potential. The album’s final piece begins with a vocalization that builds in tension until it ultimately erupts into Shelley’s bold declaration: “I am fearless and therefore powerful.”