for Constellation Men’s Ensemble
TTTBB
Performances:
- CME, Chicago, IL 05/11/2018 and 5/12/2018
Program Note:
To mark the seventh year of the Syrian civil war, photographer Chris de Bode interviewed 7-year-old refugees. Seven Years of Syrian Civil War, Through the Eyes of Refugee Children. The text for I had a white room is from these interviews.
“I was born in Syria. I had a big, big home.
My grandmother got me a toy — I remember that.
I had a white room; it had a closet.
I had a lot of toys in Syria
I can’t remember coming here.
My mother draws pictures.
When I started school here, they gave me a toy and lots of notebooks.
I have almost filled the notebook.
My caravan here is all white.
My father wants to make one for me and my brother to sleep in.
I feel safe — I don’t know why.”