As sex ed continues to be demonized, attacked, and suppressed throughout the United States, Mosaic Composers Collective, in collaboration with National Sawdust, presents an evening-length experience exploring sexuality, liberation, reproductive justice, gender, and sexual health. Join us as we present a night of music alongside Equality NY and Brooklyn Harm Reduction Outreach Cooperative (BKHROC).

Program Order

Cognitive Dissonance - Aidan Arbona
Sanctuary - Athos Maelstrom
Saturated with Pleasure - Murphy Severtson
Now, we’re stronger - Naamia Rivera
Silenced - Kevin Arthur Jr.
Eight Songs for a Drag King - Alexa Letourneau

Instrumentation

Aidan Arbona -“Cognitive Dissonance” for flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, and cello

Athos Maelstrom - "SANCTUARY" for countertenor and double bass

Alexa: Pierrot (flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano) + Sop - “Eight Songs for a Drag King”

Murphy Severtson - "Saturated with Pleasure" for singing string quartet

Naamia Rivera - "Now we're stronger" for ten player chamber orchestra: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, piano, and string quintet

Kevin Arthur Jr. - "Silenced" for tenor, alto flute, and piano

Alex Letourneau - "Eight Songs for a Drag King" chamber opera for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano

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Lou Barker - violin

Leah Asher - violin

Carrie Frey - viola

Meaghan Burke - cello

Bryce McClendon - countertenor

Kebra-Seyoun Charles - double bass

Hannah Cai Sobel - Soprano

Kamilla Arku - Piano

Carla Fortmann - clarinet

Laura Cocks - flute

Shoshana Klein - oboe

Sandy Schwartz - bassoon

Elliott Paige - tenor

EQUALITY NY

Equality New York (EQNY) is the largest statewide advocacy organization rooted in queer and transgender liberation. EQNY unites and amplifies the social and political voices of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and uses an intersectional lens to ensure equitable outcomes.

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BROOKLYN HARM REDUCTION OUTREACH COOPERATIVE (BKHROC)

Brooklyn Harm Reduction Outreach Cooperative is a network of volunteers made up of nightlife workers and patrons, artists and performers, as well as concerned members of the local community committed to reducing stigma around drug use and increasing access to life saving resources and information. We provide free harm reductions supplies, trainings and services including fentanyl test strips, reagent testing kits, Narcan/naloxone, sterile syringes, and other safer use supplies, needle exchange, safer use information, connections to programs for drug counseling or rehabilitation, and street outreach.

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ATHOS MAELSTROM

(THEY/THEM)

New York-based composer and cellist Athos Maelstrom (b. 2002), originally from Windsor, Colorado, is a fierce advocate of new art who seeks to become a vessel for the sonic imaginations of the world around them. They believe that music is social in nature and deeply respect the personal tenets that have always thrived in human sound. Athos works to carefully curate this material themself, utilizing identity and anecdote as a space of community between composer, performer, and listener.

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MURPHY SEVERTSON

(THEY/THEM)

Murphy Severtson (b. 1999) makes music centered in care, reciprocity, and human connection. Currently based in New York City, their compositions examine their lived experiences and closely held convictions, including chronic illness, the climate crisis, religion, gay and trans liberation. 

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NAAMIA RIVERA

(THEY/THEM)

Naamia Rivera (b. 2004) is a black/hispanic composer and flutist based in New York City. They went to Fiorello H. Laguardia for Instrumental Music and they were a student of Music Composition and Flute at The Juilliard School Music Advancement Program. As a composer, they are interested in writing music about social justice, improvisational music, electronic/ambient music, and music from different countries/cultures. Naamia is in the studio of Valerie Coleman, where they study Composition and Flute simultaneously.

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AIDAN ARBONA

(HE/THEY)

Aidan Arbona is a composer, pianist, and educator from Brooklyn, New York. Inspired by eclectic musical styles such as: Opera, Bebop, Funk, Lofi, Postmodernism, Grunge, and EDM, Aidan’s music is a mixture of dense harmony, syncopation, counterpoint, and interesting timbral mixtures. Eager to write new music for modern musicians, Aidan approaches music with a sense of realism and optimism, both acknowledging the struggles present in modern society and confident that we can work together to ease them in the future.

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ALEXA LETOURNEAU

(ANY PRONOUNS)

New York based creative ALEXA LETOURNEAU (b. 1998) is a composer, flutist, singer, researcher, and educator. An Ohio native, Alexa began playing the flute at eight years old. Within weeks, they were taping 5 pens together to draw a staff on which to begin composing. At present, their works are focused upon an exploration of shared human identity through sonic journeys, and as a performer, they frequently play premiers and workshop pieces with living composers. In addition to the Mosaic Composers Collective, they are also a member of C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective, the New York Chamber Choir, Accord Treble Choir, and Christmas Matters Holiday Carolers. Alexa is not only a musician, however; they spend their free time developing recipes, writing poetry, and sewing increasingly outrageous costumes.

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KEVIN ARTHUR JR

(HE/HIM)

Kevin Arthur Jr (b. 2004) is a Philadelphia born composer and instrumentalist with training in both jazz and classical music. He was a member of the Philadelphia All-City Fellowship and attended The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. His musical style is uniquely contemporary in approach with powerful infusions of Jazz, yet deeply romantic at heart. He enjoys the creative freedom that composing gives him, along with the beautiful collaboration it fosters.