Growing Up Maine
Portland, ME, ME
A cooperative project with the students of Reiche Elementary School that uses the question, "Where do you like to go?" as a prompt to explore place, identity, and the future of Maine. Composed over three years, it’s an evening-length work that tells the story of a community in their own words. For two years, conductor Emily Isaacson and the composer worked on gathering worksheets, poems, interviews, songs, stories, and even drawings that told us about the lives of the school’s 4th and 5th graders. "Reiche is a school at the center of a community in demographic transition, from Maine’s nearly all-white past to its vastly more diverse present and future; Reiche has students from 29 countries speaking 22 languages, and it’s one of the most vibrant educational spaces I’ve ever been in. The kids are enthusiastic and remarkable and very excited to be a part of this project."





