La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (The Passion of Joan of Arc) is a landmark work of the silent film era. Praised for its bold, modern cinematography and notable performance by Renée Jeanne Falconetti in the titular role, director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s groundbreaking film remains spectacularly relevant almost 100 years after its first screening.

With the support of Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project (CUSP) and with generous funding from Quire Cleveland, we are excited to present a live film score to La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc. As Joan's story continues to resonate through the ages and into present times, we modernize the sounds of her era with a new conceptual score, blending 15th century French vocal music with new music sounds of vocal improvisation and electronics. The newly composed score will take fragments of works by Dufay, Binchois, Reson and Salinas to create a cohesive sound world that pays homage to the music of Joan of Arc’s time. This multimedia performance will delight and challenge early music and new music lovers alike, while creating a new cinematic experience for fans of classic film, and all. 

Featuring:

Melanie Emig, director & vocals
Naomi Columna, vocals
Rowan Taymuree, vocals
Stephan Haluska, electronics

Melanie Emig is a performance curator, musician, and educator. Her interests include programming multi-disciplinary musical performances, usually with a strong visual, thematic, or storytelling element. She is attracted to twentieth century, avant-garde, and early music, and values accessibility, collaboration, and joy in the creative process. 

This project was made possible by the generous funding from Quire Cleveland.