Portland-based composer/musician Alicia Jo Rabins joins sonic forces with 130 singers from the award-winning Camas High School Choir, a trio of top-tier rock musicians, and the vaunted Third Angle New Music string trio for the dynamic world premiere of I Was A Desert: Songs of the Matriarchs.

I Was A Desert: Songs of the Matriarchs is a gorgeous, richly-textured multimedia song cycle that builds upon Rabins' long-running Girls in Trouble project, musically re-interpreting the ancient stories of women in Jewish tradition and seeking the hidden places where their lives overlap with ours today.

With a colossal musical scale matching the power of these stories, this intergenerational, intercultural, and interdisciplinary supergroup draws from a rich palette of musical traditions including orchestral indie rock, Appalachian folk, and diasporic Jewish modalities.

Throughout, Rabins explores the meaning of spiritual texts in a secular world, and centers women’s experiences in historically patriarchal traditions. Both a celebration of Jewish culture and deep intercultural connections, this show is not to be missed!

Nick Delffs of The Shaky Hands will open the show. His set will include a special performance with the choir.



Alicia Jo Rabins

Alicia is a musician, writer, performer, and Jewish educator. Her works of experimental beauty explore the intersection of ancient texts, feminism, and everyday life. Her solo music-theater show A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff premiered at legendary NYC venue Joe’s Pub and Willamette Week crowned its Portland presentation by Boom Arts one of 2014’s “best performances.” In 2021, it was adapted into an award-winning film with director Alicia J. Rose, starring Rabins, which screened at Lincoln Center. A classically trained violinist, Rabins has composed for PBS; toured Central America as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department; and was the violinist in NYC’s klezmer-rock band Golem.



Camas High School Choir

One of America’s most innovative choral programs, the choir is a frequent collaborator with musicians spanning Portland’s music scene, from gospel to indie rock. Previous projects include new works by Luz Elena Mendoza (Y La Bamba), Kelly Pratt (Beirut, Bright Moment, David Byrne), and Luke Wyland (Methods Body, AU), as well as notable performances with Pool Boys, Kingdom Sound, and Portugal. The Man. Choir Director Ethan Chessin has received several national and state awards for excellence and innovation in music education.