Premiering "the Me you See" @ New Gallery Concert Series' "Adopt and Adapt"
On April 30, the New Gallery Concert Series will host its first in-person live event since the pandemic started. The event, titled “Adopt and Adapt” will take place at the Longy School of Music, and will feature performances of new works created for this event by local composers, including our very own Maria Finkelmeier! The performance centers on topics surrounding adoption, with each contributing artist having their own personal tie to this subject. I sat down with Maria and catch up on “Adopt and Adapt” and her own personal journey that led to the creation of her new piece, “the Me you See.”
The theme of this New Gallery Concert Series performance is, “Adopt and Adapt.” The performance is described as “exploring themes of resilience, belonging, and empathy in a deeply personal way.” If you are comfortable, can you share some of your adoption story, and how it is reflected in your work for this performance, “the Me you See”?
I’ve always known that I was adopted. I’m not sure when or how my parents told me, but somehow they did it in a way that always made it a non-issue. I didn’t think or feel I was “unique” until I was much older and could understand the nuances and complexities of the adoption process. However, I did often wonder who my birth parents were - what they were up to at any given stage in life, or what they looked or sounded like - but it wasn’t until I was considering motherhood myself that I felt an overwhelming sense that I wanted to know my birth mom.
When conceptualizing “the Me you See,” I thought about how everyone involved in my story at one point had an imagined vision one another. My parents imagined my birth parents, my birth mom imagined me, I imagined them, etc ... In many cases, the intensity around seeking a birth family is the understanding that that imagined vision may be very different from reality.
In 2017, I did seek out and meet my birth mom and half sister. Spoiler: they are great. As with any human relationship, the more we are able to meet and connect, the less we rely on the “imagined” version of each other as we create real memories and understandings of one another.
What was the process like writing this piece, and in general, how is the creative process different when you are creating a work that draws inspiration from deeply personal experiences, versus a work that doesn’t have that much connection to your actual life?
Writing this piece was HARD. I appreciated and was excited by Sarah Bob’s vision (director of the New Gallery Concert Series), but when I sat down to put pen to paper, my mind was overwhelmed and turned blank. How does one make tangible identities and/or realities that we’re still figuring out?
I do find that writing from such a personal perspective takes much more time, to sift through many ideas to land on the one that feels equally vulnerable and safe. Finding that balance is the real challenge, and manifests as many, many ideas being thrown out the door.
This performance features works by a few different composers who share the experience of adoption. I would imagine it is very rare to be found in this kind of situation, creatively, professionally, and personally. Were you able to spend time with any of these composers while preparing for this performance? Did any of their stories provide inspiration for you? What was it like, in general, to be able to share in a program with these artists?
Sarah brought myself, Jonathan Bailey Holland and visual artist Sharon Berke together to help conceptualize and frame this concert experience. Each of us has a very different connection to our adoption stories, and we spent a few Zoom sessions sharing and discussing how to shape the project. I appreciate that each of us has the space to approach the topic in our own way. The biggest inspiration was the difference in our stories and experiences; it led me to think about the concept of adoption, and the imagined characters in our lives in a more broad sense. I’m really honored to be on the program with Jonathan, Sharon, and the rest of the artistic roster!
Can you talk about what audience members can expect at “Adopt and Adapt.” In particular, can you talk about what the performance space is like and how the music will connect with Sharon Berke’s artwork?
Sharon’s artwork will act as the glue between numerous divergent experiences throughout the Longy School of Music. The audience will have the opportunity to venture into various rooms on the first floor of the building to explore simultaneous performances at their own pace. Then, “the Me you See” will invite all performers to physically journey to the Concert Hall for the culminating performance. The sound of the piece includes the creative use of wind chimes, a string quartet, a cuantro trio, piano, and percussion quartet. I invite the audience to listen to how the sound of each instrument resonates individually and collectively. Sharon Berke will be live collaging during the performance, and I’m also creating a video projection and the lighting design.
“the Me you See” by Maria Finkelmeier will be premiered along with several other new works by local composers as part of the New Gallery Concert Series’ “Adopt and Adapt” concert on Saturday, April 30 at 8:00 PM at the Longy School of Music of Bard College. Follow the link below to purchase tickets for this moving, multi-sensory event!
