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ABOUT THE WORK
Cellist, artist, and writer Ethan Philbrick joins an eclectic ensemble of singers to perform a new large-scale interdisciplinary choral work based on the anarchist philosopher Peter Kropotkin’s 1892 book The Conquest of Bread. Kropotkin is often credited with being the first writer to articulate a theory of mutual aid and The Conquest of Bread is his most widely read text, known for its critique of capitalism and its far-reaching vision of a world in which “all belongs to all.” Philbrick’s The Conquest of Bread will be performed by members of New York City’s socialist movement choir, Sing in Solidarity; a quartet of new music vocalists (Gelsey Bell, Catherine Brookman, Hai-Ting Chinn, and leiken); a trio of movement and performance artists (mayfield brooks, Jennifer Miller, and Anh Vo); and a group of surprise special guests.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Ethan Philbrick is a cellist, performance artist, and writer. He holds a PhD in performance studies from New York University and has taught performance theory and practice at Pratt Institute, Muhlenberg College, New York University, Wesleyan College, Yale University, and The New School. He is currently performance curator at The Poetry Project. In 2023, Philbrick published Group Works: Art, Politics, and Collective Ambivalence with Fordham University Press. He is part of the musical-theatrical project DAYS and has presented solo and collaborative performances in NYC and across the country. His musical performances have been called “overwhelmingly beautiful” and “extremely strange” in The Nation and his writing has been characterized as “rich and fascinating” in e-flux. ethanphilbrick.com
SUPPORT
NYU Skirball’s programs are made possible in part with support from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the Howard Gilman Foundation; Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels; Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater; Collins Building Services; Harkness Foundation for Dance; Villa Albertine; General Delegation of the Government of Flanders to the USA; Goethe Institut; Austrian Cultural Forum New York; Marta Heflin Foundation; as well as our valued donors through memberships, commissioning, and Allies for Arts Access Fund support.