AAN and LA offer Verses, Voices & Memory: A night of art that moved one & all

Some concerts you attend. Others, you experience. Every once in a while, you become part of something deeper — an evening where music, poetry, history and community intertwine to create an unforgettable moment. That was the case on Saturday, Dec. 6, when members of the CSO’s Latino Alliance and the African American Network came together for Verses & Voices, a reception after a Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert of the program Till Eulenspiegel & Bullock Sings Aucoin. The night was many things: the world premiere of a work commissioned by the CSO, a tribute, a reckoning with memory, and above all, a powerful celebration of shared humanity.

A premiere rooted in memory and resistance

At the heart of the concert was Song of the Reappeared, the world-premiere song cycle by Matthew Aucoin — a former CSO Sir Georg Solti Conducting Apprentice — featuring the poetry of Chilean writer Raúl Zurita. Zurita’s work, born from the trauma of Chile’s Pinochet dictatorship in the ’70s and the era of los desaparecidos, explores memory, language, spiritual survival and the brutal erasure of identity. (Los desaparecidos — the Disappeared — refers to those secretly arrested, tortured and killed by state-sponsored or political groups.)

And who better to bring this to life than the luminous Julia Bullock? She performed with breathtaking clarity, her soprano voice serving as both vessel and witness to the work’s profound emotion.

Verses & Voices: where communities meet

The postconcert event in Grainger Ballroom — opened with remarks by Tracy Stanciel, chair of AAN, and Pedro Guerrero, co-chair of the Latino Alliance, followed by a heartfelt message read by Jesús del Toro, a Latino Alliance Advisory Board member (and a published poet himself), who had reached out directly to poet Raúl Zurita. In response, Zurita sent a personal note thanking Aucoin and the community for honoring his work. Hearing his words aloud set the tone for the evening: intimate, direct and profoundly meaningful.

Poet Iván Pérez, an assistant editor at the Poetry Foundation, then offered a reading of his own poems; while the works were unexpected in tone and the author was informal in attire, the poems served as the perfect preamble to the Q&A with the extraordinary Bullock, moderated by Jessie Montgomery, former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence and an AAN ambassador.

A conversation that stayed with us

Bullock responded to Montgomery’s question about the times we are living in and how the piece resonates today. She reflected on the role of the audience — the way their presence and curiosity receive the emotions embedded in the work — and described that exchange as part of our shared humanity, from creation to interpretation to performance. She noted how powerful it is to experience a piece that is both new and a reminder of difficult histories, and how the safety of the concert hall allows us to reflect more deeply. As we step out of that space, she said, we carry the experience with us — its exploration of language, survival and the painful erasure of identity that, for some communities, still echoes in the present moment.

Afterward, Bullock said: “I’m thankful for the opportunity to sing something this direct. Most artists don’t want us to abandon any aspect of themselves when interpreting their work.”

She spoke again of the audience’s role: “Your presence receives those emotions. ... That interchange is our acceptance of our humanity — from creation, to interpretation, to performance. It’s powerful and meaningful.” Those words framed the theme of the entire evening: art not as entertainment, but as connection.

Then, I had the chance to ask Bullock two questions. First, about how she connects the dots — how themes like disappearance, trauma and spiritual resilience transcend geography for those of us from South America, and how her perspective has evolved while living in Germany as a U.S. citizen. Second, about the emotional labor of repeating over and over in rehearsal Zurita’s intense verses, which she articulates so well in Spanish. 

She reflected with candor: “My job is to become fluent in the language of the piece.” She explained that she had worked with a Mexican conductor who recorded the poems for her, helping her hear the softness, immediacy and cultural resonance embedded in the text. Also, she spoke of physically embodying the message — letting the poetry resonate through her fully, even in a language she doesn’t speak fluently. 

As a native Spanish speaker (who also speaks German), I think her sensitivity to Spanish and Latin American expression was striking. And yes — after the Q & A, when I took the opportunity to talk with her in German, she responded warmly, sharing stories of her six years in Munich. She is as gracious as she is gifted.

12 years of building bridges

What made the evening truly special is what it represents. For 12 years, the Latino Alliance has worked to bring extraordinary artistic experiences to our community — creating spaces to connect, learn, celebrate and honor our shared heritage. As someone who had the privilege of helping launch the Latino Alliance in its early days, I felt profoundly proud of seeing this mission come alive so powerfully.

The event also embodied everything the Latino Alliance has set out to achieve. On this night, we gathered to experience a world premiere. To honor a poet who wrote through pain — and who sent us a heartfelt message to be read aloud. To witness a soprano who sings with soul-deep intention. And to share the room with a boundary-pushing composer, present with us as his work came to life onstage.

We didn’t just attend a concert — we participated in a special moment. We walked out, not just moved, but also changed, carrying with us the memory of a night where art told the truth.