Now in its third season, New Works: An Arts Commission Project is an initiative by the Center for the Performing Arts to promote and sustain central Indiana’s working artists and arts communities in an inclusive way by supporting the creation of new works across all performing arts disciplines. The three winning proposals selected by the judging panel will be presented on stage at the Tarkington, with a talkback discussion following the performances.

All of Us: An Anti-Asian-Hate Opera
Hippocrates Cheng

Cheng is a composer, music theorist and ethnomusicologist from Hong Kong. He completed his music composition doctorate and is pursuing a music theory doctorate at Indiana University in Bloomington. All of Us is an opera inspired by true stories from people of Asian-American and Pacific Islander heritage, shedding light on issues of Asian hate and emphasizing unity and empathy in our diverse society. The music, incorporating Asian traditional and Western classical elements, will be performed by an ensemble of singers and instrumentalists. The presentation will include staging, lighting, and multimedia components.

Pathways/Caminos
Iris Rosa Santiago

Santiago is a Puerto Rican-born choreographer, professor emerita at Indiana University, and founder of Iris Rosa Dance Studio and Seda Negra/Black Silk Dance Company in Indianapolis. Pathways/Caminos is a work for 10-15 Seda Negra dancers, inspired by spiritual traditions of the African Diaspora in Caribbean and Latin American countries. The presentation will feature spoken word by Santiago and recorded music from the Indianapolis Pan-African Drum and Dance Ensemble directed by Andre Rosa-Artis, as well as costuming and visual projections designed by Filipino-American artist Kelvin Burzon.

Classical Scratch
Jared Thompson

Thompson is a saxophonist, composer, arranger and leader of the Indianapolis-based modern jazz quintet Premium Blend, which has been featured in two national award-winning documentaries and has released five studio albums. Classical Scratch is a three-part composition for tenor saxophone, piano (twin brother Joshua Thompson) and DJ (DJ Boogie Bang) that integrates classical, jazz and hip-hop music to celebrate the contributions of Black artists over the past 300-plus years. The presentation will include lighting effects and projected images of influential artists.

New Works is supported by the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation.