Percussionist Bonnie Whiting returns to DePauw to perform “Through the Eye(s),” a nine-movement cycle for speaking percussionist composed by the Indiana Women’s Prison Fall 2019 music composition class facilitated by DePauw Professor Eliza Brown. Co-authors and -composers of the work are Charʼdae Avery, Whittney (CoCo) Bales-Malone, Eliza Brown, Amaris Rose Bunyard, Lara Campbell, Joyce (Potter) Hawkins, LaDawn Johnson, Marjorie Woods, Ashley Strong, Ingrid Swinford, and Dawnetta Taylor (Shelton).

Each movement of “Through The Eye(s)” features original poetry responding to the theme “calm and storm.” These lyrics range from literal to metaphorical, personal to general, fantastical to autobiographical. Seven of these texts were set to music by their author or authors, and the remaining two by facilitator Brown. Whiting workshopped each piece with the class, both in person and via rehearsal videos.

Bonnie Whiting performs, commissions, and composes new experimental music for percussion. She seeks out projects involving non-traditional notation, interdisciplinary performance, improvisation, and the speaking percussionist. She is currently Chair of Percussion Studies at University of Washington.