GATHER HEAR ROSEBUD 2026
A partnership with Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to Sicangu Lakota Oyate
“A COLLECTIVE LANDSCAPE”
a new show for Lakota singing & piano
“A COLLECTIVE LANDSCAPE" is Gather Hear’s new project in partnership with Sincangu Lakota Oyate members from Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.
“A Collective Landscape” is the title of our new show for Lakota singing and classical piano with performers Chaz White Feather (Lakota/Rosebud) and Miki Sawada (Japanese/Boston).
The show honors tradition while pursuing visions of a future society where we focus on the ways we are interconnected as humans. Traditional Lakota music and works from the standard classical piano canon are featured throughout the show. But as the show progresses, the commonalities between the two traditions - seemingly from completely different worlds - are increasingly revealed, through new original compositions and electronics by Brendon Randall-Myers.
We acknowledge historical and ongoing violence, oppression, and injustice against indigenous peoples. We also acknowledge we can find beauty, and hints for a path forward by examining what we have in common: the desire to express the range of the human experience through music. We are grateful to our Lakota friends and collaborators for their generosity in sharing their knowledge and co-dreaming this vision with us.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, as part of its Freedom250 programming in honor of the nation's semiquincentennial in 2026.
We are supported by our Rosebud friends and cultural liaisons, Butch and Billie Artichoker and Justin Baker. Dr. Kathy May Tran of the Rural Medicine Program continues to support us after making the initial introduction of those involved.
It is an honor to be entrusted with their knowledge and traditions, with the understanding that we will amplify Chaz’s voice and Lakota culture, while also creating a work that is daring, novel, and offers glimpses of a future where we focus on all the ways in which we are interconnected.
We plan to premiere the work at Rosebud Reservation in Fall 2026, and touring it nationally in 2027 and beyond.
About the artists
Pianist Miki Sawada is the founder and director of Gather Hear. Her performance made The Boston Globe’s list “The classical concerts that made me fall in love with live music again,” and she was nominated “Most Inspiring Pianist” worldwide by Pianote Awards in 2023. In addition to performing at places like Carnegie Hall and Helsinki Music Centre, she has given more than 100 free concerts in community gathering spaces nationwide through Gather Hear. [mikisawada.com]
Lakota musician Chaz White Feather lives at Rosebud Reservation. Coming from a family of musical cultural bearers, Chaz knows thousands of Lakota songs orally passed down to him, writes his own songs, and performs with his drum circle.
Brendon Randall-Myers creates intricate and visceral music at various intersections of rock, experimental, and classical. His work has been described as "an unflinching testimonial on grief and endurance" (Pitchfork), “emotive and gripping” (The Quietus), and "a yearning explosion” (The Wire). He was previously the featured composer of Gather Hear West Virginia which led to the creation of Miki and Brendon’s album “A Kind of Mirror.” [brendonrandallmyers.com]