Writing Professor Dr. Katharyn Howd Machan and Music alumnus Brendon Shapiro, '10 Collaborate with Words and Music

By Debbi DeWeese, May 1, 2024

Writing Professor Dr. Katharyn Howd Machan and Music alumnus Brendon Shapiro, '10 Collaborate with Words and Music

Brendon Shapiro, Music ’10, now Co-Artistic Director of Catalyst New Music and Executive Director of Boston Singers’ Resource, released an international call last autumn for poets, composers, and singers to apply to create new work for the showcase of FUSE: Collaborations in Song. As a former student of longtime Writing professor Dr. Katharyn Howd Machan, he sent word to her about it, and not only did she help to publicize the call but she applied as a poet to be considered by the selection committee. Chosen as one of the five poets, she was teamed with composer Ben Morris in Texas and singer Perri Di Christina in New York City and created a script of fairy-tale poems which these two artists embraced. As a result, “The Crone Speaks” will debut on May 31 at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA, with Dr. Machan offering comments about the poems and Ms. Di Christina performing Mr. Morris’ score with Mr. Shapiro on piano. The show will be livestreamed, with tickets available: https://www.catalystnewmusic.com/event-details/fuse-collaborations-in-s…