UC San Diego

The following thesis explores the faculties of the human voice in advocating for social justice through three performance projects, and is divided into three parts: 1) TAN-ÁW: A paper on the intersectionality of tradition and innovation in Filipino contemporary vocal music, culminating in a full-length voice recital featuring works of Filipino composers; 2) TAO PO: A creative audio-visual project produced in collaboration with composer Vahid Jahandari, focusing on the Philippine Drug War’s impact on Filipino society; 3) interpretation and performance of Georges Aperghis’ Recitation 1, centering on the performer’s re-imagination of the composer’s oeuvre through the creation of a new narrative.

All performance projects provide analyses of the opus of contemporary composers who dare to interrogate the degradation and regression of human life, and seek to advance society through humanistic pursuits of creativity.