Geoffrey Taylor’s art is inspired by nature.
While building houses in Missoula, Montana, on a fall day, he took notice. The sun came up over the mountaintop, shining light on a big maple tree. Then, the leaves started to fall.
“Which made me think a lot about just the power of the sun,” Taylor said. “What if these light rays were hitting spiderwebs all over the place and making melodies that we couldn't really hear, but are kind of essential to our reality?”
"They're all incredibly acoustically designed spaces, and they all have this really pulsing community around them that really supports rural arts."Mary Overlie on how the venues were selected for performances
He then contacted his cousin Mary Overlie about collaboration. The musical project Harp and Sol was described by Overlie as the story of a little spider at the center of all things named Kora (after the African harp). Every day, Kora leaves a new web for the sun to play with.
“Tomorrow is her birth day, and she's just ridiculously excited because she's seeing all of her brothers and sisters [get] born the last year," Overlie explained. " ... And when she wakes up in the morning, there's a solar eclipse. So that's the story of the show: How is she going to get born?"
The collaboration went on for several years, and although living thousands of miles apart from each other had its challenges, they figured it out. Overlie recorded her spoken word tracks and sent them along with videos that will be projected during the show, and Taylor created music.
Overlie does wish they had more time in the same room during the collaboration process because she knows from her theater background that ideas flow more in person. But by far, her favorite part was just getting to work with Taylor. She said they see things differently artistically, but it was fun to blend their ideas together.
There will also be puppets involved with the production. The idea came from Overlie asking herself how best to represent music. There’s no physical form for it, so she felt like puppetry and mime would be the best vehicle.
They chose to debut the live show of Harp and Sol in 2024 because of their family.
“My nieces and nephews are starting to get too old for this story,” Taylor said. “We got to get this done before my nieces and nephews grow out of this age range where they're going to really, truly appreciate it.”
Overlie said choosing locations was easy. “They're all incredibly acoustically designed spaces, and they all have this really pulsing community around them that really supports rural arts and has a vision about making sure it's just a natural part of growing up in those places."
Audiences can expect to interact with the show. After the story starts, kids will be brought on stage from the audience to dance and help with the puppetry. Taylor will be on stage the entire time playing violin, penny whistle and a shruti box, which is an instrument from India.
The shows will be performed at three different Northern Minnesota locations: Thursday, Aug. 15, at Aurora Center for the Arts in Fosston; Friday at Armory Arts and Event Center in Park Rapids; and Saturday at Wild Rose Theater in Puposky.
The performances of Harp and Sol will be at 7:30 p.m. for all three shows. Tickets are available on the Harp and Sol website. The show at the Wild Rose Theater in Puposky will not have tickets available at the door. They must be purchased in advance.
Hear the full interview above, along with samples of some of the music featured in the show.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
