SPARKS & WIRY CRIES
PRODUCER
BIOGRAPHY
Founded in 2009, Sparks & Wiry Cries curates opportunities for art song creators, performers, and scholars through innovative initiatives that capture the stories of our diverse communities. Co-founders soprano Martha Guth and pianist Erika Switzer share a vision for the future of art song presentation, articulating the form’s confluence of poetry and music as a vehicle for socially relevant storytelling. Sparks productions foreground the lived experience of artists within our communities, enabling them to express heartfelt matters that speak to us all.
For UIA Talent Agency, Sparks & Wiry Cries curates projects that range from innovatively crafted vocal chamber recitals to co-produced multimedia /theatrical projects. Collaboration has permeated every aspect of Sparks & Wiry Cries since its founding. Our partnerships include: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 5 Boroughs Music Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Lincoln University, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Cornell University, Columbia University (Narrative Medicine program), Barnard University (Heyman Center for the Humanities), Merkin Concert Hall, GLMMR, and National Sawdust. Examples of our projects include:
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Freedom on the Move - Songs in Flight: Premiered in January 2023 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Songs in Flight draws on Cornell’s Freedom on the Move database, which houses digitized, searchable fugitive slave advertisements. In an evening-length Sparks commission, Shawn Okpebholo’s music and Tsitsi Jaji’s curated texts explore personal stories of strength and bravery, celebrating self-emancipation rather than reliving oppression. Songs in Flight features artist Karen Slack.
At the Crossroads: Sparks commissioned works from 2021/22 focus on stories advancing critical dialogues around themes of identity and justice. After Him by John Glover expresses grief and loss as expressed through the queer community; Ciudad perdida by Reinaldo Moya and Adalber Salas Hernández tells the story of Venezuelan immigrants; Ramadan 20 Vs. Covid 19 by Andrew Staniland and jessica Care moore captures the intersection of a pandemic and racial injustice.
#MeToo - Pathways to Healing: Premiered in 2019, this program centers the diverse stories of women, including Sparks commissions Nobody Knows by Naihlah Nombeho/Mahzi Kane and She Who Continues by Natalie Draper/Judy Grahn.
Word of Mouth - Mark Campbell in Song: first performed in 2019, this program celebrates wordsmith Mark Campbell’s poetry in song settings by Mark Baechle, Kevin Puts, Conrad Cummings, and Sparks commissioned composer, Kamala Sankaram.
To learn more about Sparks & Wiry Cries’ signature songSLAM events, publications, commissions, and the Art Song Magazine, visit sparksandwirycries.org.
Current as of July 24, 2023
REPRESENTATIVES
General