Radical Self-Love
Joy Guidry
Past event
- Price
- $20*
- Genre
- Music
- Season
- Winter/Spring 2023
- DATE
- MAR 24
- TIME
- FRI, 8:30 PM
- RUNTIME
- Approx. 90 minutes, with intermission
- COUNTRY
- USA
- Program
- Download Program Notes (PDF)
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About
Radical Self-Love is an evening-length work written and designed by Joy Guidry, drawing inspiration from the work of Sonya Renee Taylor, who has defined radical self-love as “its own entity, a lush and verdant island offering safe harbor for self-esteem and self-confidence.” As Guidry states, “much of my music-making right now is keenly focused on a radical reimagining of spaces, sonic, and communal. At the center of imagination is radical self-care: creating a world for yourself that allows the expansion of other worlds.”
While these music offerings represent a range of musical idioms and methodologies–from improvisation and graphic scores to multimedia and gospel–the uniting principle for Guidry is a focus on the importance of affirmation, validation, and self-care.
Radical Self-Love at REDCAT will feature an opening performance of new works by ricky sallay zoker (YATTA), an artist, musician, performer, and educator who has shared the stage with musicians such as Cardi B and The Sun Ra Arkestra.
Joy Guidry was recently named to the Washington Post’s “23 for ‘23: Composers and performers to watch this year” list.
Please note: Radical Self-Love contains partial nudity, loud sounds, strobe lights and discussions of mental illness, rape and ableism, as well as graphic language about suicide.
The interdisciplinary artist pulls together spoken-word pieces with quivering electronic soundscapes, freeform woodwind blasts, and rich rhythmic spirals.
—
Allison Hussey, Pitchfork
about the artists
Joy Guidry
Radical self-love, compassion, laughter, and the drive to amplify Black artmakers and noisemakers comprise the core of bassoonist and composer Joy Guidry’s work. Their performances have been hailed by The San Diego Union-Tribune as “lyrical and haunting … hair-raising and unsettling.” A versatile improviser and a composer of experimental, daring new works that embody a deep love of storytelling, Joy’s own music channels their inner child, in honor of their ancestors and predecessors. In every aspect of their practice, Joy seeks to support, hire, and promote Black artists.
Joy holds a bachelor’s degree in Bassoon Performance from the Peabody Conservatory and a graduate performance diploma from the Mannes School of Music. They have performed with the Dance Centre Kenya Ballet Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, and Alarm Will Sound. In Yvette Jackson’s opera Fear Is Their Alibi that premiered at the 2021 PROTOTYPE Festival, they were the featured soloist. They have been commissioned by The National Sawdust, Long Beach Opera, JACK Quartet, and the I&I Foundation, and they have attended and been featured by prestigious festivals, including the Spoleto Festival USA and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Guidry is the winner of the 2021 Berlin Prize for Young Artists and currently a doctoral fellow at the University of California San Diego.
ricky sallay zoker (YATTA)
ricky sallay zoker (YATTA) is an artist, musician, performer, and educator from Houston, Texas. Over the years, YATTA has shared the stage with musicians such as Cardi B and The Sun Ra Arkestra, creating multimedia performances that tour astrally, nationally, and globally.
