TERRA NOVA

Hub New Music and the composer-collective/band Oracle Hysterical, recently noted for their "interpretive sophistication of jazz or musical theater and the deliberate naïvete of folk-rock" (Wall Street Journal), join forces on an intrepid project, Terra Nova - a collection of songs inspired by new lands, and the people who ventured into them.

An evening-length work occupying a world between Western song cycle and indie-rock concept album, Terra Nova draws from those on the edge of discovery. Texts come from personal accounts of explorers spanning the centuries including John James Audubon, Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortes, Zheng He, the story of Agamemnon, and more. 

These individuals captivated by uncharted territory share an often combustible mix of guts, ego, greed, and myopic determination. The results of their discoveries range from beautiful to terrifying, or both. 

For additional materials, please click here.  Terra Nova was commissioned by the Peabody Essex Museum (Salem, MA), Hub New Music and The Five Boroughs New Music Festival with support from New Music USA, made possible by annual program support and/or endowment gifts from Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Helen F. Whitaker Fund, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Howard Gilman Foundation, Anonymous.