DACAMERA has announced that bass-baritone Davóne Tines will be the soloist for the world premiere performances of Tyshawn Sorey’s “Monochromatic Light (Afterlife).”

The work is set to be presented at Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas. This concert will also be held in honor of the Chapel’s 50^th anniversary on Feb. 19 and 20, 2022.

Sorey will be joined by the Houston Chamber Choir, violinist Kim Kashkashian, percussionist Steven Schick, and DACAMERA’s Artistic Director Sarah Rothenburg, who will be at the piano and celesta.

“It is with great excitement that we look forward to the world premiere of Tyshawn Sorey’s new work, a project years in the making. Rothko Chapel is a unique space of contemplation and stillness, a rigorous and daring artistic statement, a spiritual oasis; the same can be said of Tyshawn Sorey’s music – highly original, searching, and deep, pushing beyond conventional categories of genre, opening up new paths of expression. We are honored to partner with Rothko Chapel in uniting music and art with this major commission,” Rothenburg stated in an official release.

“It is most certainly an honor for me to have been asked to create a work commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Rothko Chapel, and for many reasons. Among the reasons why it is so important to me is because it has become increasingly apparent that the music that I’ve been making in my ‘concert works’ stratum seems much better fit for places that are conducive to EXPERIENCING music, rather than simply listening to it for entertainment purposes or in traditional concert hall experiences. It is known to many that my music is synonymous with meditation in that it is intended to expand one’s consciousness and fulfillment THROUGH the act of listening as well as giving the experiencer the opportunity to heighten their sense of awareness in their listening. My work seeks to do exactly that, given its painstaking attention to expressive timing and rhythmic/formal/harmonic detail,” added Sorey.