Open to the public and livestreamed
David Alan Miller, Heinrich Medicus Music Director
Britt Hewitt, vocalist
Devony Smith, vocalist
Juhi Bansal: Refuge
Albany Symphony Musicians
String Quintet
Percussion
Keyboard
About Refuge:
Written to observe the anniversary of the building of the Erie canal, Refuge focuses on the history of the area in the Finger Lakes Region known as Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. A thriving expanse of marshes, the area offered a rich wildlife habitat for centuries, supporting many species, notably a wide variety of migratory birds. It was also a home, hunting and fishing ground for the Haudenosaunee people. In the early 1800s, the area was drained and the marshes destroyed to enable the expansion of the Erie canal, until in 1938, the Montezuma Migratory Bird Refuge was established to restore the marshes, and recreate a nesting and feeding habitat for migratory birds. Pulling fragments of text from court documents about the establishment of the canal and the NY State Constitution of 1967, this piece reflects upon the paradox of naming, the duality of a place that has always been a refuge to people and wildlife, needing to be renamed to be recognized and protected as such.
