Very excited to be sharing an upcoming collaboration with pianist Brianna Conrey
@briannaconrey !
Here are some sneak preview work-in-progress clips!
In the 19th century—and in many others!—women musicians, however brilliant they were, were often discouraged from pursuing creative careers. Fanny Hensel (sister to Felix Mendelssohn) was no exception. Yet she persevered in her work, Das Jahr, a cycle of twelve pieces, one for each month, each capturing a distinct emotional and conceptual landscape. Heard in its entirety, the work unfolds like a musical diary—not only the result of compositional craftsmanship, but a record of the creative process itself. Within it, we encounter not only joy and inspiration, surges of clarity — but also doubt, uncertainty, and the inevitable stretches of creative drought. This work was never published in her lifetime until 1998!
We invite you to witness an imagined creative journey through Fanny’s mind as each piece unfolds—brought to life as projections that play in real time through Brianna’s live performance of Das Jahr. Together, we weave our collective artistic imaginations to reimagine Fanny’s interior landscape.
Shadows are the central visual language of this exploration. They speak to the “other side”—a quiet testament to our physical presence in this world, however brief within the light of the living. At the same time, they inhabit the fringes of consciousness: imagination, intuition, and fleeting impressions.
All footage was captured as shadowplay and interwoven with select archival material to construct a layered “shadowscape.” This visual world merges with the animated language of manuscript illustrations, reflecting the shifting atmosphere and emotional textures of each month.
Like the course of true love, the creative process does not run smooth—its turbulence, persistence, and devotion echo one of Fanny’s deepest loves: the act of creation itself.
Join us at Samper Recital Hall, April 26 at 2pm!
Piano performance:
@briannaconrey
Visual design:
@oting1
Composer: Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn
Manuscript illustration: Wilhelm Hensel
Shadow acting:
@briannaconrey 
