The renowned chamber group chatterbird premiered Mark Volker’s Body and Soul, After the Plague online on Thursday, July 29, 2021. View it online: https://www.facebook.com/achatterbird

Based on the medieval text titled "The Body and Soul Debate," the work highlights the importance of empathy and diversity in humanity’s broader divisions, using the medieval conception of "sin" (self-division) as a transgression against both oneself and the fabric of the human community. The premiere was filmed in Nashville at the Parthenon, and was produced in collaboration with Dr. Suzanne Edwards, a medieval scholar, and Dr. Christine Rogers, a visual artist.

Two voices are featured, interwoven with music and film in a framing of a medieval poem, known as “The Body and Soul Debate.” This is a late fourteenth-century poem in which the body and soul of a recently-deceased person debate which is more responsible for leading them astray in life. Ultimately, it is clear that the debate only serves to teach them about one another, as they have a shared fate - and a shared responsibility in it.

To accompany this world premiere, chatterbird created a beautifully-designed commemorative program booklet that includes striking images, background and commentary around the commissioned work, essays from artist/photographer Christine Rogers and medieval scholar Suzanne Edwards, biographies of the composer and performers, and more.

Support for this project was provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission.