A new Lofaro instrument called “poem-drum” is debuting at the NIMBUS FUSE Ensemble April 5th and 6th in Washington DC.

This season, Fuse Ensemble premieres Nimbus by composer Gina Biver, a set of seven movements for electroacoustic chamber ensemble based on the poems of American Poet Colette Inez, the lovechild of a Roman Catholic Priest and the French scholar assigned to assist him. Audio recordings of Colette reading her poems for Nimbus from her residence in New York City and additional audio captures of church bells, city sounds, and the interiors of churches were captured live in the town of Nerac, France and its environs in August 2018.

This artistic collaboration between Colette Inez (1931-2018) and Composer Gina Biver began in 2017 and continued even after Ms. Inez’s passing, thanks to the kind assistance of her husband Saul Stadtmauer, until his death in August of 2018. Through Saul and the generosity of Jean-Jacques Dulong (Colette’s cousin), Gina was able to compose the music to Nimbus in the Dulong family estate—the river house in Nerac, France that Colette mentions in her memoir The Secret of M. Dulong (University of Wisconsin Press).

The concerts begin with works by composers Caroline Shaw, Alexis Bacon, Kevin Puts and a premiere of The Accusing Shadow by Fuse Ensemble bassist/composer Ethan Foote. Interactive video by artist Ethan Jackson.