Racer Session #387 | Lily Shababi | August 13, 2017
Greetings, Racers!
This weekend, our hosting artist is violinist and composer Lily Shababi. Lily, who is a current student at Cornish, moved to Seattle in 2015. In that time, she has established herself in many of Seattle's musical communities, including regular attendance at the Racer Sessions. We are very excited for Lily to share new material with us. She writes to you below, so read on for a preview of what to expect. We'll see you this Sunday at 8pm!
---
"What is music without purpose? As musicians, how often do we get lost in the vanity of our own technique, sound or performance? With those questions in mind, I think that finding the balance between the vanity that we allow within our own art and the critical political substance that we have amongst it is the backbone of contemporary music/art/existence.
Everything that I do is political. From the tremolo that I play on stage to the way that I hold myself on the bus everyday. As a queer Iranian woman living in America, I don’t get to choose when I want to be political or radical. It is inherently who I am, built into every action, interaction and syllable that leaves my mouth. Given all of this, as I walk onstage with nothing but my violin in my hands I feel as if though I finally have a voice. Finally, there might just be a way for me to communicate my thoughts or emotions.
In a society where technology literally towers over us through Amazon buildings and military drones, vernacular for all things human is either lost or deemed illegitimate. This is where music comes in. This is where I have the power to create a voice for the unsaid or unspeakable. And I want to try to use this power to communicate about what matters most to me, with the hope that maybe even one or two minds might relate.
This Sunday I will be performing a solo violin set, with the help of a loop pedal and slight amplification. Spoken excerpts from current news headlines and Persian poetry will also assist my sound. Join me and my noise and let your mind wander wherever need be.
Hope to see you there."