Abstract
The world premier performances of Place Them on the Altar, a cabaret song cycle by poet Tessa Romano (they/them) and composer Silen Wellington (they/he). Performed by Tessa Romano (mezzo-soprano) with Barbie Noyes and the Playground Ensemble at the Lory Student Center Theater and the Dairy Arts Center, Colorado, United States on consecutive nights.
This work was commissioned by the Boulder Arts Commission. Place Them on the Altar traces the poet's experience of coming into their non-binary identity. Written from the perspective of the poet, the first song - "Their Hair" - contains an extended moment of queer joy as they shave their head for the first time and allow hair to grow back onto their legs. Song two, "Beauty in Many Names", follows the poet discovering gender inclusive ways to call themselves beautiful and handsome in several languages that are steeped in the gender binary, including the languages of their ancestral lineage. "Tyler" shows the experience of a cisgender person coming to grips with their partner's emergence into their nonbinary identity. This song contains moments of transphobia as the main cis character eventually finds their way to compassion, acceptance, and introspection. The final song is a moment of ritual gratitude as the poet sheds the words and labels that no longer serve them and chooses the new words for their identity that will allow them to grow.