Patricia Mulholland, composer and producer, puts the poetry of Emily Dickinson to music in ‘A Solitude of Space,’ with the singers of Mosaic, at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 28 at River Tree Arts in Kennebunk. COURTESY PHOTO
KENNEBUNK — Emily Dickinson’s poetry expresses loneliness, delight, passion, despair and hope, and Patricia Mulholland of Arundel has written a chamber theater piece titled “A Solitude of Space,” celebrating this 19th century poet.
Mulholland along with singers Karen Stathoplos, Vicki Adams, and David O’Brien of Mosaic, narrator Kim Krauss, and pianist April Masse will present this show at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 28 at River Tree Arts in Kennebunk Lower Village.
Presented in honor of National Poetry Month, the show focuses on the five most prolific years of Dickinson’s life through narration, letters, and poetry set to music in a song cycle.
Among the 12 songs are the whimsical ode to a snake, “A Narrow Fellow In the Grass,” and “Hope is the Thing with Feathers,” a favorite poem of Emily Dickinson fans. Two songs capturing the poet’s longing, “If You Were Coming in the Fall” and “Will There Really Be A Morning” won prizes at Berklee College of Music, where Mulholland, as a music therapy student, first presented the show.
“The heart wants what it wants, or else it does not care,” Dickinson wrote in a letter.
Mulholland agreed.
“These words have been with me through the years,” she said. “She has been a kind of muse to me, resulting in the creation of ‘A Solitude Space,’ an examination of the deep struggle Emily underwent to discover and define herself as a woman and a poet.”
The group, Mosaic, has been performing in the area for several years. As their name implies, they enjoy performing music of many different types from folk to traditional Irish, pop and Christmas and they appreciate this opportunity to add poetic songs to their repertory.
Tickets to the performance are $10 at the door.
For more information, call River Tree Arts at 967-9120 or send an email to patricia@beyournote.com.
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