Ted Hearne and Saul Williams’ Place

“Gentrification is a generational conversation that has gone by many names. We should not discuss what brings you back to the city without acknowledging why you left.”
—Saul Williams, from the libretto of Place

How does a white millennial man create a work that explores the topographies of gentrification and displacement? Engaging the mind of poet Saul Williams, composer Ted Hearne confronts this issue head-on in Place, a fiery yet thoughtful oratorio created in collaboration with director Patricia McGregor.

The semi-staged secular oratorio—a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Music, seen here in its West Coast premiere—features six vocalists and an 18-member ensemble that blends the energy of R&B, rock, and electronic music with acoustic orchestral sonorities. A true dialogue, the first part of the libretto is a collage of Hearne’s own autobiographical reflections, which are placed in conversation with—and overtly challenged by—Williams’ trenchant text in the second half, which addresses displacement through the lens of settler colonialism, police violence, and Afrofuturism.

The cast recording of the work received two Grammy nominations this year. “Place takes shape in songs that emerge like a graffiti mural as repetitive gestures gradually bloom into vibrant, brash statements in high-volume color…. It always felt as if Mr. Hearne was questioning his own comfort and—in the final moment—his power” (The New York Times).

The run time for this performance is approximately 75 minutes, with no intermission.

Special Note: a post-performance conversation with the artists, moderated by producer Beth Morrison, will take place on stage; free to all ticket holders.

Produced by Beth Morrison Projects

This event is part of Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Place and Displacement” programming for the 2021–22 season.