Six Feet Apart is an innovative multimedia work of choral music based on real-life Oregonians' experiences in 2020-2021. The piece harnesses the power of music, poetry, and art to amplify diverse voices and foster collective healing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Six Feet Apart was commissioned and produced by Anima Mundi Productions, a nonprofit performing arts organization based in Ashland, Oregon. Project leaders Tiziana DellaRovere and Ethan Gans-Morse conducted interviews and collected stories from around the state in collaboration with the Southern Oregon Historical Society and other regional nonprofits.
DellaRovere wrote original poetry based on these stories and interviews, curated the writings of teenagers, and integrated works received from two of Oregon's Poets Laureate, Anis Mojgani and Kim Stafford. In total, 9 poems were set to music by composer Ethan Gans-Morse, performed remotely (in isolation!) by 15 LA-based musicians, mixed and mastered by Aron Kallay and Scott Fraser, and turned into a multimedia video by designer Camilla Tassi, weaving in artwork by Betty LaDuke.
Artists:
Tiziana DellaRovere: Lead poet, poetry curator, editor (she/her)
Ethan Gans-Morse: Composer (he/him)
Kira Lesley: archivist for the Southern Oregon Historical Society who helped with story collection and documentation (she/her)
Anis Mojgani: Current Poet Laureate; contributed one poem (he/him)
Kim Stafford: Previous Poet Laureate; contributed one poem (he/him)
Fahad Siadat: Music Director for the whole project and also the founder/ensemble director of the 12-voice ensemble HEX (he/him)
Aron Kallay: Mixing and engineering. Also pianist and our contact for Brightwork NewMusic. (he/him)
Scott Fraser: Final master (he/him)
Camilla Tassi: Video design and editing (she/her)
Alex Quade: Assistant editor to Ms. Tassi (he/him)
Betty LaDuke: Painter (she/her)