Walt Whitman
Song Cycle
Master's Project
Prepared by: Juliet Rand
Composed by: Benjamin Edelson
Project Description
This project combines my passions for contemporary music and poetry through a collaborative song cycle based on selected poems by Walt Whitman, created with composer Benjamin Edelson. The songs are completed and currently in the editing stage, leading toward a live performance accompanied by program notes and a presentation exploring Whitman’s life, legacy, and the poems chosen for the cycle. The project takes Whitman’s deep connection to music, especially opera, which greatly influenced the musicality of his verse, and highlights the natural lyricism of his writing. I hope to bring the performance to Walt Whitman’s birthplace on Long Island, where I am also from, and create a meaningful connection between the music and the poet’s origins. Rooted in personal memory and artistic admiration, this project seeks to share the timeless beauty, humanity, and continuity of Whitman’s words with new audiences.
Juliet Rand
Soprano
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