2022 NYC songSLAM Festival:
We were thrilled to present the
6th annual 2022 NYC songSLAM festival
from January 7th to 15th.
Sparks & Wiry Cries presented its 2022 songSLAM Festival entirely virtually due to rising Covid case numbers in the area. The Festival included the presentation of four emerging artist duos, fifteen world premieres, and the popular songSLAM competition — all presented free of charge!
2022 songSLAM COMPETITION PRIZE WINNERS
Although voting is finished, we encourage you to watch the 13 incredible songs that premiered as a part of our 6th annual NYC songSLAM competition!
1st Prize: Team 7: The Queen of the Museum - Alaina Ferris, composer, pianist, & poet Sophie Delphis, mezzo-soprano
2nd Prize: Team 13: Blue - Jason Weisinger, composer & tenor Daniel Sefik, pianist Kate Douglas, poet
3rd Prize: Team 2: A Certain Slant of Light - Michael Wisnosky, composer & pianist Margaret Taylor Woods, soprano text by: Emily Dickinson
Commission Prize: Shawn Chang, composer - Blue from “Portraits of Unrelated Colors”
Follow these links to watch:
Songs of Identity
At the Crossroads
songSLAM Competition
Songs of Identity
On January 13th, 2022, Sparks & Wiry Cries celebrated the complex, intersecting identities of performers in a virtual recital. Selected duos — tenor Bo Shimmin and pianist Natalie Sherer; soprano Shana Oshiro and pianist Brian Bartoldus; mezzo-soprano Hailey McAvoy and pianist Bethany Pietroniro; and soprano Paulina Swierczek and pianist Ania Vu — present a short program of existing works that reflect the fullness of their identities and lived experiences, told through the language of composers and poets past and present. We are thrilled to share these beautiful programs, and accompanying interviews, in a free, virtual format.
At the Crossroads
At 7 PM EST on January 14 Sparks premiered At the Crossroads, a virtual concert featuring four commissioned works that focus on stories advancing critical dialogues around the issues of our time. The program includes two world premieres commissioned for the 2022 songSLAM Festival: After Him by John Glover, performed by baritone and poet Michael Kelly and pianist Howard Watkins, and From the Woolworth Tower by 2021 songSLAM Commission Prize winner Rachel DeVore Fogarty, to be performed by sopranos Maria Brea, Martha Guth, and LaToya Lain, with pianist Myra Huang. Also on the program will be a reprise of two 2021 songSLAM Festival commissions, Ciudad perdida (The Lost City) by Reinaldo Moya, which will be performed by soprano Maria Brea and pianist Howard Watkins, and Ramadan 20 vs COVID 19 by Andrew Staniland, performed by soprano LaToya Lain, poet jessica Care moore, and pianist Erika Switzer.
songSLAM competition
The 2022 songSLAM Festival concluded on Saturday, January 15, at 7 PM EST with the 6th Annual NYC songSLAM, a unique community event for composer/performer teams to premiere new art songs and compete for cash prizes determined by audience voting. songSLAM prizes include First Place ($1,000), Second Place ($600), and Third Place ($400). Additionally, one team’s composer will be selected by Sparks & Wiry Cries for a paid commission in a future season.
songSLAM recordings were shared virtually on Sparks & Wiry Cries’ website and on YouTube between January 7 and 15, 2022. Teams that raise the most funds will win songSLAM awards. Funds raised during this event are reinvested into larger commissions, future competitions, and new art song initiatives.
To celebrate, Sparks hosted a Watch Party on January 15th at 7 PM on YouTube.
