Benediction (2022)
From The Shed:
JJJJJerome Ellis’s BENEDICTION is a musical ceremony honoring plant kin and Black movement. During the ceremony, Ellis and vocalist Starr Busby sing the names of plants Black ancestors may have seen blooming or fruiting as they moved through the landscapes of 19th-century Virginia.
Commissioned by The Shed, NYC.
Purple light bathes a stage with a grand piano, saxophone, and hammered dulcimer. Big windows at the back of the stage. Photo by Ahad Subzwari.
JJJJJerome is on stage, surrounded by a grand piano, a hammered dulcimer, and a saxophone. They speak to an audience under warm light. Photo by Ahad Subzwari.
JJJJJerome plays the piano with their eyes closed. Photo by Ahad Subzwari.
S T A R R sings, wearing a purple garment. Photo by Ahad Subzwari.
JJJJJerome holds a saxophone above their head. Photo by Ahad Subzwari.
S T A R R stands at a microphone and JJJJJerome plays hammered dulcimer. Photo by Ahad Subzwari.
S T A R R sings and JJJJJerome plays piano. Photo by Ahad Subzwari.