The Bregamos Community Theater in New Haven recently hosted a unique event called SOMA, a collaboration of music, art, and film that explored the concept of intergenerational trauma. The event featured the world premiere of Puerto Rican composer Luis Gustavo Prado’s Second String Quartet, titled SOMA.
The Concept of SOMA
The word ‘Soma’ has its roots in ancient Greek and means ‘body.’ According to the SOMA program, the word refers to ‘the body as living archive: the place where history is stored, where wounds are inherited across generations, and where the decision to remember becomes an act of resistance.’
The event was produced and curated by violinist Yaira Matyakubova, who is the artistic director of Music Haven in New Haven. The quartet performers included Colin Jacobsen, violin 1, Yaira Matyakubova, violin 2, Miranda Sillaff, Viola, and John Franklin Koen on cello.
The Performance
The performance featured the beautifully designed program for the SOMA event, with poignant essays by Prado, which described the musical architecture of Prado’s composition: ‘SOMA opens with a chorale-a code-and returns to it at its close, transformed. The journey between is cyclical: from code to scream, from dream to passage, from passage back to code.’
The concept of intergenerational trauma at the core of Clinard’s sculptural series is one of the underpinnings of the SOMA composition mentioned in the program. The work emerged from a constellation of ideas, including the science of epigenetics, which has revealed that trauma can alter how our genes function — changes then passed to our children.
Community Reaction
Stefanie Kilpatrick, a specialist in trauma-centered psychotherapy at West Rock Wellness/Holistic Mental Health and Wellness Center in Westville, reflected on the SOMA presentation: ‘What resonated with me is the exhibit’s refusal to forget. As a psychologist working primarily with trauma, I am continually reminded that trauma exerts its greatest influence when it remains hidden or unspoken. SOMA beautifully captures the truth that remembering, mourning, and sharing our stories are not signs of weakness; they are acts of courage that restore our humanity.’
Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.
