Chapter 2: West Virginia

West Virginia - a state so geographically close to “elite” coastal cities but often only recognized by its poverty, opioid epidemic, coal mining, and support for Trump.

I couldn’t have imagined beforehand that my experience in West Virginia would be such a moving and positive one. There was the intense love of their land and communities expressed by residents wherever I went. Furthermore, the arts scene was vibrant at every truck stop. I knew beforehand that the Appalachian traditional music scene was strong there. I didn’t expect to hear of entire towns being transformed by the arts: a group of individuals who are using the arts to bring residents out of the woodwork, injecting the town with positive energy, attracting other small businesses, and leading to the town’s economic revival.

I was accompanied on tour by theater director Daniel Pettrow and composer/WV-native Brendon Randall-Myers. I performed A Kind of Mirror, a show that reimagines the classical concert experience, commissioned by Gather Hear and created for this West Virginia tour with funding from New Music USA.