What She Saw Douglas Anderson & Andrew Joffe

• Douglas Anderson (b. 1952): Cassandra Songs:
• 1 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Proœmium 01:10
• 2 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Cassandra Prepares for Bed 02:29
• 3 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Cassandra's Youth 01:26
• 4 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Cassandra Waits 01:26
• 5 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Cassandra Foretells 01:24
• 6 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Cassandra Loves 02:26
• 7 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Cassandra Weds 02:55
• 8 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Cassandra Violated 01:27
• 9 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Cassandra in the Wilderness 06:09
• 10 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Cassandra's Death 03:58
• 11 Anderson: Cassandra Songs: Cassandra at the End 05:52
• Through/In:
• 12 Anderson: Through/In: Prelude 00:35
• 13 Anderson: Through/In: Deserted Street 01:51
• 14 Anderson: Through/In: Best Face 02:26
• 15 Anderson: Through/In: Surprised 01:26
• 16 Anderson: Through/In: Eyes 01:00
• 17 Anderson: Through/In: They Do Not Stop 02:47
• 18 Anderson: Through/In: The Sweet Breeze Blew 03:16
• 19 Anderson: Through/In: The Stairs Are Steep 02:11
• 20 Anderson: Through/In: Pounding 02:49
• 21 Anderson: Through/In: What Are They Saying 01:18
• 22 Anderson: Through/In: I Like It As I Like It 02:39
• 23 Anderson: Through/In: Time To Go 01:44
• Total Runtime 54:44

Info for What She Saw

WHAT SHE SAW features two epic, large-scale works from composer Douglas Anderson. These gripping vocal works focus on the lives of two archetypal women: Cassandra of ancient Greece and The Woman of modern times. The first work, Cassandra Songs, tells the story of a Trojan priestess gifted with the power of prophecy but cursed to never be believed. The 11 songs that comprise this first work depict the arc of her tragic struggle. THROUGH/IN, the second major work on the album, is a one-woman chamber opera in which the modern Woman confronts herself through the looking glass. With words by Andrew Joffe, WHAT SHE SAW is a dramatic tour-de-force.

Rachel Arky, mezzo-soprano
Nicole Salamon, mezzo-soprano
Elizabeth Rodgers, piano
Scott Still, percussion

Rachel Arky
Praised for her “golden tone” and handling of “difficult music with a glorious ease” (Edge Media Network Miami), mezzo-soprano Rachel Arky is a singing actress noted for her dramatic and musical versatility. This season, Arky sang the role of Pino in the world premiere of Larry Lipkis’s Simonetta (American Chamber Opera Company) and performed Melissa Shiflett’s Rose Saga II song cycle, a set which she recorded with pianist Elizabeth Rodgers.

Nicole Salamon
is an American mezzo-soprano who resides in Greenwich CT and New York City. In 2022, she made her debut with the American Chamber Opera Company in the world premiere of the one-woman opera Through/In. In 2023, she was involved with numerous choral works that featured her as the alto soloist, including the Dvorak Mass with the Hudson Valley Singers, Bruckner’s Missa Solemnis, and Haydn’s Heiligemesse with the Putnam Chorale. Some of her favorite roles performed include The Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Ma Moss in Copland’s The Tender Land, Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, and Florence Pike in Britten’s Albert Herring.

Elizabeth Rodgers
Collaborative pianist Elizabeth Rodgers holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music. She is in demand as a recitalist with singers and instrumentalists, including the distinguished soprano Judith Raskin, and in chamber music, orchestral, choral, and operatic repertoire. She performs with Music under Construction, American Chamber Opera, American Landmark Festivals, New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, and the Moss Ensemble. A strong advocate of performing works by living composers, she has premiered works by Miriam Gideon, Robert Dennis, Joelle Wallach, Carolyn Lord, Robert Dennis, Wendy Griffiths, Tom Addison, Justine Chen, Melissa Shifflet, and Douglas Anderson. She has recorded with PARMA Recordings, Opus I, Grenadilla, CRI, Musical Heritage, New World Albany, and Arabesque. Her solo album — Views From the Keyboard – piano music by Wendy Griffiths, is available on Apple Music.

Scott Still
is a New York based educator and freelance percussionist. As a freelance percussionist, you can find Still either on stage or in the pit at any number of venues. Still performs regularly with the Harlem Chamber Players, Chelsea Symphony, and Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, among others. He is also an active pitt musician, playing in numerous musicals across the city. As an educator, Still is a member of the New York Pops Teaching Artist program where he teaches in many different middle and high schools around the city. He is also on the faculty of Third Street Music School where he works with the InterSchool Orchestras of New York as a percussion coach.

This album contains no booklet.