New works by Paul Dresher, Lisa Bielawa, Jay Cloidt, Conrad Cummings, Fred Frith, Guillermo Galindo, Carla Kihlstedt, Ken Ueno, Pamela Z,
Amy X Neuburg
Neuburg and Dresher commissioned 10 composers to create songs inspired by Diane Arbus's Guggenheim grant application, American Rites, Manners and Customs. Arbus proposed to photograph everyday people, places, and routines, which to generations of the future "will have been so beautiful." Each composer found or created a photograph or series of images, ranging from intimate self portraits to stark landscapes, that spoke to him or her in this regard, and used the images as inspiration for the music.