This, and My Heart: A Portrait of Emily Dickinson and Her Worlds Through Text and Song

In This, and My Heart, Verdi Chorus Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum portrays Emily Dickinson in both text and song, with Fox Singers Alexandra Bass, Tiffany Ho and Megan McDonald expressing Dickinson’s thoughts through the singing of her poetry. Victoria Kirsch is the pianist.

In This, and My Heart, rather than looking at Emily Dickinson’s life in a chronological manner, the piece looks at the different areas of her thought in the context of her life – how she saw nature, fame, religion, love and death. There are hundreds of songs written by hundreds of composers using her poetry – by famous and lesser known composers.  Finding the particular songs to use was a complex process and they were chosen based on what seemed best to fit the essence of Emily.  The readings of her poems and excerpts from her letters “amplify” the songs, giving them added vibrancy and depth.