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Annika Bentley

@annikabentley

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ｖ（＾＿＾ｖ）♪ // ME/CFS
singer-songwriter, composer, & artist
Artistic Director @mounthopeworldsingers_roc
soprano @rocatorio

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Mount Hope World Singers, in collaboration with local instrumentalists & composers Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez, presents Bright Threads, an immersive experience of musical healing. Bright Threads features 11 selected global choral works, 2 traditional instrumental world music pieces, and 4 original compositions written specifically for this program. The singers and instrumentalists engage as a group in thoughtful, communal movement, making use of simple props and bathed in layered lights, to strengthen the healing intention and efficacy of this program. Expressive ASL interpretation evokes a deeper understanding of content.

Bright Threads draws on and reinterprets global historical examples of music as medicine, creating a transformative new work focused on common humanity and emphasizing healing connection. Annika Bentley, Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez have each composed new music for this project, in addition to selecting works from the world song traditions/instruments that each contributor specializes in.

Bright Threads features Swedish Nyckelharpa, Zimbabwean Mbira, and Chinese Pipa alongside percussion and choral voices. The program favors explorations of chant and euphoric rhythms in addition to lyrical and thematic content about illness and healing. Types of healing explored include body, mind, spirit, family, community, nature, intercultural connection, and the world at large.

Bright Threads features choral works from Indigenous Australia, Canada, Estonia, Haiti, Inner Mongolia, Innu First Nation, Ireland, Mexico, South Africa, and the United States. The languages the chorus will be singing in include Yorta Yorta, Estonian, Haitian Creole, Mongolian, Innu, Gaelic, Spanish, Xhosa, and English. Three of the songs feature neutral syllables in lieu of words.

Both June performances of Bright Threads will be ASL interpreted and livestreamed. There will be balloons available, enabling audience members to feel sonic vibrations with their hands. Braille programs will be provided upon request.

Poster by Megan Asbeck

#mounthopeworldsingers #mhws #brightthreads by @annikabentley

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5 months ago

I wrote “Sun Breathes Birdsong: A Spell to Heal the Mitochondria” because I wanted to speak directly to my mitochondria, which are dysfunctional due to my ME/CFS, and offer them some healing and encouragement via song.

Come out for our final two performances of Bright Threads and hear us serenade these powerful organelles!

Mount Hope World Singers in collaboration with Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez, presents

Bright Threads
Wednesday, 9/16, 6 pm
Sunday, 9/20, 5 pm

Blackfriars Theatre
795 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14605

Tickets at https://rochesterfringe.com/tickets-and-shows/bright-threads

Video by Michael Besaw/Highland Media

“Sun Breathes Birdsong: A Spell to Heal the Mitochondria,” is a vocal incantation encouraging healthy mitochondrial function and referencing the dawn chorus, the outbreak of birdsong at the start of each new day.

The composer, Annika Bentley, lives with a disabling chronic illness called ME/CFS, in which the mitochondria, the tiny organelles that power our existence, produce insufficient energy.

May this song reach deep into our cells to collectively rally and embrace our mitochondria, galvanize their flow, and restore synthesis within the internal community of our bodies. by @annikabentley

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a month ago

I’m so pleased and proud to share this footage of my 2025 choral composition, “Signal to Noise.”This gorgeous video was created by Nash Snyder.

“Signal to Noise: an electrocommunicative fish romance”

This piece unfolds in three aquatic sections: searching, connection, and dissipation. It is a love letter to South American knifefish, who use electrical pulses to conceive of the world around them and to communicate with one another. The middle section references the propulsive polyrhythms of tango.

South American knifefish live in murky rivers and utilize electroreception to signal jam, eavesdrop, predate, navigate, and woo. The electrical pulses they emit provide an instantaneous, omnidirectional snapshot of their surroundings, radiating outward in the shape of their own bodies and extending roughly one body’s length in distance.

Some species of knifefish use AC current, while others use DC; researchers at Cornell University are actively studying these fish and hypothesizing about their evolution and behaviors.

This video clip is an excerpt from the larger collaborative work The Hundred Windows, which premiered at the Rochester Academy of Medicine in June, 2025, at RIT’s Sklarsky Glass Box Theater in September 2025, and at the JCC Hart Theater as part of the Rochester Fringe Festival in September, 2025. It can be seen in full on the Mount Hope World Singers youtube page (100 Windows link in my bio).

Mount Hope World Singers
Christine A. Banna, Projection Design/Animation
Logan Barrett, Electronic Soundscape

Annika Bentley, Creative Director & Producer
Kathleen Fraser, Producer

Brian White, Conductor
Mark Wenderlich, Lighting Design
Donetta Tchoroleev, Choreography
Emma Mousaw, Set Design
Kayden McLeod, Stage Manager

Singers:

Olivia Anderson
Jen Becker
Annika Bentley
Julia Drover Crane
Henry Cretella
Michael Cullinan
Lizz de Simone
Kathleen Fraser
Jennifer Gaul
Elaine Hollis
Krystal Kinder
Debra Lindsey
Jordan Oney
Dorothy Petrie
Carol Santos
Peter Schoellkopf
Tate Shaw
Sahara Smith
Rajiv Snape
Jenny Stanberry
Kayleigh White

#thehundredwindows #signaltonoise #womencomposers by @annikabentley

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4 months ago

Costume play!

Deer Heart is a collaboration between choreographer and dancer Sarah Andreacchi, visual artist Kim Bellavia, Tai Chi Master Kathy Gill, and me (composition/soundscape)! This project has also included a series of creative workshops, and the free October 24th performance will be followed immediately by a dark forest-themed silent disco 🪩

October 24th, 5 pm
Cobblestone Arts Center
1622 State Route 332, Farmington, 14425
FREE by @annikabentley

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10 hours ago

I’m delighted to share that I’ve been hard at work creating a mystical 18 minute soundscape for Deer Heart: A Ritual of Listening, and the time to experience it all in person is nearly upon us!

In preparation, I read this beautiful book, The Age of Deer by Erika Howsare, which is filled with evocative and powerful perspectives alongside history, science, and mythology. I made a number of field recordings at local parks including Oatka, Corbett’s Glen, and Mendon; I’ve been seeing deer constantly but maybe this is because I am also a crepuscular creature, often emerging at dusk?

I did some rewarding research into global deer dances and set up a temporary recording studio at home for vocals, piano, percussion, and synths. The soundscape is comprised of 65 layered tracks over 6 sections and was created using free software + plugins - MuseScore, Garageband, Spire, Spitfire Audio, and the Native Instruments Kontakt Player. Recorded at home with a Shure SM7db, Universal Audio Volt 276, Yamaha P-115, and in the field with a Zoom H6 Handy Recorder.

Deer Heart is a collaboration between choreographer and dancer Sarah Andreacchi, visual artist Kim Bellavia, Tai Chi Master Kathy Gill, and me! This project has also included a series of creative workshops, and the free October 24th performance will be followed immediately by a dark forest-themed silent disco 🪩🦌

October 24th, 5 pm
Cobblestone Arts Center
1622 State Route 332, Farmington, 14425
FREE by @annikabentley

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4 days ago

The musical programming for Bright Threads follows the shape of a meandering circle - smoke curling around a flame, a needle sewing a rounded path. These 17 songs, drawn from all over the world, take us on a communal journey from gathering and well-wishing through sleep, sickness, shelter, celebration, loss, repetition, respiration, forgiveness, and more.

Our brilliant choreographer Donetta Tchoroleev has created resonant movement following the same winding, ritual path - as we progress through the music, the performers are also making and continually referencing a slow, counter-clockwise circle, with many eddies, stirring the pot.

We hope you will join us for the final two performances of Bright Threads at this year’s ESL Rochester Fringe Festival - come be a part of this transcendent and inclusive healing ritual 🌟🧵

Mount Hope World Singers in collaboration with Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez, presents

Bright Threads
Wednesday, 9/16, 6 pm
Sunday, 9/20, 5 pm

Blackfriars Theatre
795 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14605

Tickets at https://rochesterfringe.com/tickets-and-shows/bright-threads

Video by Michael Besaw/Highland Media by @annikabentley

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a month ago

I am so thrilled to share that we will be presenting two encore performances of Bright Threads at this year’s ESL Rochester Fringe Festival! If you loved the show in June, come catch it a second time, and if you missed it then, now’s your chance! Blackfriars is a beautiful venue and a local treasure - we are honored to grace their stage 🌟🧵

Wednesday, 9/16, 6:00 pm
Sunday, 9/20, 5:00 pm

Blackfriars Theatre
795 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14605

Mount Hope World Singers, in collaboration with local instrumentalists & composers Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez, presents Bright Threads, an immersive experience of musical healing.

Bright Threads draws on and reinterprets global historical examples of music as medicine, creating a transformative new work focused on common humanity and emphasizing healing connection. Annika Bentley, Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez have each composed new music for this project, in addition to selecting works from the world song traditions/instruments that each contributor specializes in.

Bright Threads features Swedish Nyckelharpa, Zimbabwean Mbira, and Chinese Pipa alongside percussion and choral voices. The program favors explorations of chant and euphoric rhythms in addition to lyrical and thematic content about illness and healing. Types of healing explored include body, mind, spirit, family, community, nature, intercultural connection, and the world at large.

Both performances of Bright Threads will be ASL interpreted. There will be balloons available, enabling audience members to feel sonic vibrations with their hands. Braille programs will be provided upon request. Photos by Jackie McGriff

Grab your tickets at mounthopeworldsingers.org/events or rochesterfringe.com/tickets-and-shows/bright-threads by @annikabentley

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2 months ago

FRINGE ⚡️SHOWS
🎵9/16 6pm & 9/20 7pm @mounthopeworldsingers_roc Bright Threads 🧵✨ft music by @annikabentley @leah.ou @guitarfluke
🎵9/18 8pm & 9/22 7pm @roseroomroc wsg @luminousshademusic The Fiddle Witch 🧙🎵
🎵 9/19 4:30pm Forest Music 🌲🌳@friendsofwashingtongrove where you can also hear @rollegra @leah.ou and more 🎵
🎟️ Tickets at Rochesterfringe.com taken in Flower City Fiddle by @annikabentley

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2 months ago

Some behind the scenes glimpses from this week’s preparations for Bright Threads. Hope you will join us for one of two premiere performances this Wednesday and Thursday, June 10 & 11—we can’t wait to share our healing musical immersion with you! 🌟🧵👀

Photos by Sanford Rockowitz 📸

Bright Threads
Wednesday, June 10 7:00 pm
Thursday, June 11 7:00 pm

Monroe Community College Theatre
Bldg. 4, Brighton Campus
1000 E Henrietta Road,14623
(parking in Lot F)

Mount Hope World Singers, in collaboration with local instrumentalists & composers Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez, presents Bright Threads, an immersive experience of musical healing. Bright Threads features 11 global choral arrangements, 2 traditional instrumental pieces, and 4 original compositions written especially for this program. The singers and instrumentalists engage as a group in thoughtful, communal movement, making use of simple props and bathed in layered lights, to strengthen the healing intention and efficacy of this program. Expressive ASL interpretation evokes a deeper understanding of content.

Bright Threads draws on and reinterprets global historical examples of music as
medicine, creating a transformative new work focused on common humanity and emphasizing healing connection. Annika Bentley, Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez have each composed new music for this project, in addition to selecting works from the world song traditions/instruments that each contributor specializes in.

Bright Threads features Swedish Nyckelharpa, Zimbabwean Mbira, and Chinese Pipa alongside percussion and choral voices. The program favors explorations of chant and euphoric rhythms in addition to lyrical and thematic content about illness and healing. Types of healing explored include body, mind, spirit, family, community, nature, intercultural connection, and the world at large.

Both June performances of Bright Threads will be ASL interpreted and livestreamed. There will be balloons available, enabling audience members to feel sonic vibrations with their hands. Braille programs will be provided upon request.

#brightthreads #mounthopeworldsingers #communitychorus by @annikabentley

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4 months ago

We have braille programs for Bright Threads!! Both these and the print version arrived this week. Gorgeous! Many thanks to The Spencerport Lions Braille Service, and to @tateshaw_pbb and @twoeggsandtoast for their beautiful work 🌻

Wednesday, June 10 7:00 pm
Thursday, June 11 7:00 pm

Monroe Community College Theatre
Bldg. 4, Brighton Campus
1000 E Henrietta Road,14623
(parking in Lot F)

Mount Hope World Singers, in collaboration with local instrumentalists & composers Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez, presents Bright Threads, an immersive experience of musical healing. Bright Threads features 11 global choral arrangements, 2 traditional instrumental pieces, and 4 original compositions written especially for this program. The singers and instrumentalists engage as a group in thoughtful, communal movement, making use of simple props and bathed in layered lights, to strengthen the healing intention and efficacy of this program. Expressive ASL interpretation evokes a deeper understanding of content.

Bright Threads draws on and reinterprets global historical examples of music as
medicine, creating a transformative new work focused on common humanity and emphasizing healing connection. Annika Bentley, Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez have each composed new music for this project, in addition to selecting works from the world song traditions/instruments that each contributor specializes in.

Bright Threads features Swedish Nyckelharpa, Zimbabwean Mbira, and Chinese Pipa alongside percussion and choral voices. The program favors explorations of chant and euphoric rhythms in addition to lyrical and thematic content about illness and healing. Types of healing explored include body, mind, spirit, family, community, nature, intercultural connection, and the world at large.

Both June performances of Bright Threads will be ASL interpreted and livestreamed. There will be balloons available, enabling audience members to feel sonic vibrations with their hands. Braille programs will be provided upon request.

#brightthreads #mounthopeworldsingers #communitychorus #braille by @annikabentley

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4 months ago

Thank you to David Raymond at the Rochester Beacon for this beautiful article on Bright Threads! Catch the premiere of our show at 7 pm on June 10 & 11 at the MCC Theater 🪡🌟 by @annikabentley

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4 months ago