The Juliet Letters

Elvis Costello writes, “…so there was this professor in Verona who answered letters to Juliet…

Well, if that sounds like the start of a tall story I suppose it is. There was a tiny newspaper item about a Veronese academic who had taken on the task of replying to letters addressed to ‘Juliet Capulet.’

This apparently continued for a number of years, until some gentlemen of the press exposed this secret correspondence. Quite how he came by these letters in the first place remains unclear. We can only make a guess as to their content. After all, these people were writing to an Imaginary woman, and a dead imaginary woman at that. Perhaps they were simply scholarly enquiries, or letters of sympathy from others disappointed in love, or even a plea from somebody forced into an unhappy arranged marriage. Whatever was contained in these letters and their replies, the idea of this correspondence provided the initial inspiration” for The Juliet Letters, a song sequence for string quartet and voice—a collaboration between Elvis Costello and The Brodsky Quartet.

Deliver Us

Instrumental

For Other Eyes

I don’t know what I would do
If this letter should fall into
Other hands than it should pass through
For other eyes

He said, “It was nothing… it’s over and done”
But the rotten worm was burrowing still
Its spirit invades me bleeding me white
For other replies
I searched his pockets
I searched his eyes
I searched his wallet for clues and lies
And I found a number that I somehow dialled
A woman answered, a woman smiled
Then she hung up on the silence unperplexed
Innocently spun her rolodex
I dialled again I could not resist
Revealing just the dentist receptionist

One day we’lI laugh about it or maybe we’lI curse
But there is one thing that is making it worse
And it’s the lack of forgiveness that I can’t disguise
No matter how well he lies
Now we don’t know each other anymore
And when we touch our lips feel sore
I question the longing left in his sighs
For other eyes

Swine

You’re a swine and I’m saying that’s an insult to the pig
In the foul furrow that you dig
Why don’t you lay your head down
In that unconsecrated ground
WAS she your MOTHER?
Or WAS she your brlde
To defile and to blister
To gnaw at her side
Is this the end of the world?
Now that you’ve finished your life
This RIDDLE is the work of my little pen-knife

Expert Rites

I marvel at the wonder of it in our souless age
Fast flow the tears upon the page
Don’t be alarmed I am her friend
Will I be excused if I presume
It’s more than disappointment that we share
You share the same sorry life, the families fight,
that unhappy blade you both invite
This romantic ideal has a lonely appeal
I once loved someone the way that you do
But I had to let her go
I live with my regret
Don’t despair my would-be Juliet

Dead Letter

Instrumental

I Almost Had a Weakness

Thank you for the flowers
I threw them on the fire
And I burned the photographs that you had enclosed
GOD they were ugly children
So you’re the little bastard of that brother of mine
Trying to trick a poor old woman
‘Til I almost had a weakness
Last week Cousin Florence
Bit your Uncle Joe
Hit him on the forehead with a knife and a fork
(She) said that he looked like the devil
Then she said… “pass the vinegar,” I’m beginning to think
(That) I’m the only one who hasn’t taken to the drinking of it
Though I almost had a weakness

It pains me to mention
These delicate concerns
While I have to tolerate you family jewels
I really mustn’t grumble
(‘Cause) when I die the cats and dogs will jump up and down
And you little swines will get nothing
Though I almost had a weakness

Why?

Why is Daddy not here?
Are you crying?
Why?
Does he still love me?
Will you take care of me?
If you both love me so
Why don’t you love each other
Mummy’s gone missing
Daddy’s on fire
Daddy’s on fire
Daddy’s on fire

Who Do You Think You Are?

The hunted look, the haunted grace
The empty laugh that you cultivate
You fall into that false embrace
And kiss the air about her face
Who do you think you are?
The tres bon mots you almost quote from your
QUIVER of literary darts
A thousand or so tuneless violins thrilling your cheap
little heart
Who do you think you are?

My cigarette burns right down to the ash, my coffee
cup is unstained
The waiter hovers close at hand
His courtesy strained

Who do you think you are?
I close with my regards
Well I’m the red-face gentleman
Caught in this picture postcard
Who do you think you are?

Trying my best to make the best of your absence
Though the joke gets tired and sordid
Sea-shell hearts get trampled under foot
Punchlines unrewarded

But even at this distance it’s not easy to accept
The vision that I chase returns when I least expect it
I’ve fallen from your tired embrace
I kiss the air around the place that should be your face.

Taking My Life in Your Hands

My dear impulsive darling, I suspect my letter got to you too late
And it’s really just a silly fragment of paper
But it means so much to those who wait

All the suffering days and nights ’til I dare dream again
There you suddenly stand and I’ll be damned
If you didn’t disappear with the dawn

Hours pass and darkness comes
Soon I will close my eyes
Will you return if you don’t reply?

You’ll be taking my life in your hands
You’ll be taking my life in your hands
Taking my life in your hands

I don’t know why my dearest darling
I can’t tell you how I feel when you are near
When I see you have returned my letters unopened
I will tear them up, your voice ringing in my ears

But you’re kidding yourself
If you think this correspondence will end
I can always pretend words
I don’t have the courage to send, reaching you

Hours pass and darkness comes
Soon I will close my eyes
Will you return if you don’t reply?

You’ll be taking my life in your hands
You’ll be taking my life in your hands
Taking my life in your hands

This Offer Is Unrepeatable

Don’t send any money!
Your fate has no price
Ignore at your peril this splendid advice
An invaluable link in an infinite chain
An offer like this will just not come again
You wish you had women to charm and bewitch
Power of life and death over the rich
Young girls will be swooning
because you’re exciting them
Not only fall at your feet but be biting them
Guaranteed, guaranteed to capture your breath
Or just possibly scare you to death
Sign it and seal it and send it to friends
Don’t mention my name
Don’t make any long term plans
In thirty-six hours your fortunes will change
Your best friends won’t know you
And neither will strangers
Do not keep this letter
It must leave your hand
You have been selected from over five thousand
A twister and dupe will bamboozle or hoodwink you
I can’t say more it would only confuse you
The wine they will offer will go to your head
You’ll start to see double in fishes and bread
Guaranteed, guaranteed for a lifetime or more
Guaranteed for this world and the next
Guaranteed, guaranteed for the world and its mother
Cherish this life as you won’t get another one
Unless you should take up this fabulous offer
Don’t leave it too late or you’ll be bound to suffer
Woebetide anyone so woebegone
You won’t know you’re born or about to pass on
You’ll never get tired
You’ll never get bored
By the way I just hope you’re insured
And if you’re not satisfied
If you want more
We can always provide an improved overture
Guaranteed at a price that is almost unbeatable
This offer is unrepeatable
Your troubles will vanish
Your tears will dry
Your blessing will just multiply
Guaranteed at a price that is almost unbeatable
This offer is unrepeatable
Guaranteed, guaranteed to bring fortune and favor
A riot of colours and flavours
Guaranteed at a price that is almost unbeatable
This offer is unrepeatable
Would I lie to you? Would I sell you a dud?
Just sign on the line. Could you possibly write it in
blood?

Dear Sweet Filthy World

Dear sweet, filthy world, my wife
Or whoever reads this
I think that I’ve lived too long
With all of my promise unfulfilled
But there is a veil drawn over all of that

I know you’ll probably say
“Spare us the melodrama”
I don’t know how he chose
The pills or the stupid revolver”

I’m out of luck
I’m not that strong
My hands, your neck
I might have wrung

Don’t try to find me
I’m not worth anything anymore

I am not leaving you
With all of your problems
‘Cause the biggest one is me
Life is dark and cold as the sea

Embrace me in my anguish
Put seaweed in my hair
And vow that you won’t cry
Because I’ve gone, I can’t go on
I can’t go on, I can’t go on
I must close now

The Letter Home

Care of St. Ignatius House, Willoughby Drive
Parramatta, New South Wales, this fifth day of July
In the year of Our Lord
Nineteen hundred and thirty five

Why must I always apologize
Every time that I sit down to write
Through my own fault I may find
You’re no longer living at this address

Please excuse the lack of news
The feeling of strange privilege
For the hour of trial in these times of distress
Mean more than years imprisoned by etiquette

I can remember when we were children
Though I could never imagine this day
Your brother told me we’d live forever
“I’ll go on better”, I heard myself say

And it seems so strange, now that he’s gone
To recall all these games
Though the years have divided us
Friendships have strained and broken

Oh, by the way, how’s that girl that you wed
I hated you then but I’m over the worst of it
I can’t come home, I might as well say
Life is short, I shall not write again

Jacksons, Monk and Rowe

Sister 4 and Brothers 3
Hanging off the family tree
Practising for getting old
Do you want your fortune told
They’re looking for you high and low
Now there’s nowhere for you to go
So you’ll just have to come out and face the music
Jacksons, Monk and Rowe

Long ago when we were kids and we cut your hair to bits
As we carried off like spoils the heads we’d smash right off
your dolls
But the wind is changing you know
Are you sure of your friends and your foe
Have you got what it takes to carry it off
Jacksons, Monk and Rowe

As the sun beats down and life begins to complicate
Will we both incinerate
If we touch that brass name-plate

Messrs. All, noble Sirs
Highly paid solicitors
Find enclosed my signed divorce
Sad proceedings you endorse
The burden of pity will show
In the people we used to know
Have you got enough strength to carry it off
Jacksons, Monk and Rowe

This Sad Burlesque

I write in hope
By the time you get this letter
We may live
To see a change for the better

Or are we so devoted
To these wretched selfish motives
When the cold facts and figures all add up
They cannot contradict this sad burlesque

This sad burlesque with miserable failures
Making entertainment of our fate
Laughter cannot dignify of elevate
This sad burlesque

Now can they recall being young and idealistic?
Before wading knee-deep in hogwash and arithmetic
The pitying smirk, the argument that runs like clockwork
Will run down eventually and splutter to a stop

P.S. Well, by now you know the worst of it
And we’ve heard all the alibis that they’ve rehearsed
The smug predictions
If it’s not a contradiction

Please have faith in human nature
And have mercy on the creatures
In this sad burlesque

This sad burlesque with miserable failures
Making entertainment of our fate
Laughter cannot dignify of elevate
This sad burlesque

Romeo’s Seance

Is anyone there I can talk to?
Give us a sign if you’re with me
Can’t you see that I’m dying to hear you

Everyone else has lost interest
And I’m all alone in this dream house
Though you’re gone, I don’t feel like crying

Romeo is calling you

Knock once or twice if you’re out there
Send me a message, my sweetheart
When I’m out and about, I’ll be coming to see you

It isn’t easy to live with this matronly face
At the window, try to contact me
If you can see how I’m suffering

Romeo is calling you

Scatter the paper and thimbles
You can take care of the candles
An unplugged radio plays, she is close now

Me and my hand holding
Baby, you’re walking the floor and the ceiling
And this is the song she dictated this evening

Romeo is calling
Romeo is calling you

I Thought I’d Write to Juliet

I thought I’d write to Juliet
For she would understand
And when someone is already dead
They can no longer let you down

Instead I find myself talking to you
As my oldest friend
Tell me how I can advise someone
That I don’t even know to welcome death

For I received a letter that is worth reporting
And though it may raise a cynical smile
It leaves a sinking feeling

Like when a soldier in a story says to the sergeant
“Have you seen my pride and joy?”

You know the rest
And it’s no joke
Forgive me please
As I quote

“This is a letter of thanks
As I’m so bored herein I can’t say where
So I’m writing to people that I may never meet
And I was thinking if something you said”

I’m a female soldier, my name is Constance
I enlisted in the military needing funds for college
I’m twenty-three years old and if I do get home alive
I imagine I may think again

I’m sleeping with my eyes open for fear of attack
Your words are a comfort, they’re the best thing that I have
Apart from family pictures and of course, my gas mask
I don’t know why I am writing to you

Last Post

Instrumental

The First to Leave

I should open with a kiss
For if you’re reading this
You must have opened up your case
And found this letter where I placed it
In between the silk and lace
There were other clues, like your walking shoes
But I still refused to believe
That you were meant to be the first to leave
Everybody here sends you their love
How can I forget you still walk above
Or
below
Perhaps you’ll never know this purgatory
We never could agree
There’s a thought, there’s a pause
No time to repent
Eternally yours
In a permanent lent

But if I should give you up
If you’re right and life just stops
And I never see your face again
Then from unearthly pleasures, proud and plain
I shall abstain

Until you realise, my loss is your surprise
Unless you know otherwise
Then don’t grieve
You see I had to be the first to leave

Damnation’s Cellar

Did anybody notice, over marmalade and eggs
In between the princess’ legs
What with wars and floods and beggars
Not to mention stocks and shares
If you have a moment to spare

Can you write and reassure me that I have seen
They’re constructing a time machine
And there will be no need for the obituary pages
We can have any hero from the bygone ages
‘Til the truth emerges, the argument rages

The major and the minor
Turn from tallow into tar
Should we leave them in their place?
Down in damnation’s cellar

When any form of deity that you might enjoy
Can be conjured with a test-tube and a flame
If it’s out there then science can explain it
Or at least remove the blame
And if there’s anyone, you’d like to see again and speak up quickly

Send us back Da Vinci then we don’t have to ponder
The maddening smile of La Giaconda
The critics say Nijinsky, the dancer, of course
While the punters would probably prefer the horse
You’ll find it’s quicker than history, cheaper than divorce

The major and the minor
Turn from tallow into tar
Should we leave them in their place?
Down in damnation’s cellar

Bring back Liberace or Ollie and Stan
Shakespeare will have to wait his turn
Elvis Presley and Puccini shall return, I suppose we live and learn
Though it’s hard to believe as we cheerfully burn
It’s curious, some will call for justice
There are murders to solve

What about Hitler? Or at least Lee Harvey Oswald
Give us this day and everything we squander
Anyone beautiful, somebody blonder
They’ll never please mankind, so lie back and enjoy it
Stop press, they’ve just decided to destroy it

The major and the minor
Turn from tallow into tar
Should we leave them in their place?
Down in damnation’s cellar

The Birds Will Still Be Singing

Summertime withers as the sun descends
He wants to kiss you. Will you condescend?
Before you wake and find a chill within your bones
Under a fine canopy of lover’s dust and humourous bones

Banish all dismay
Extinguish every sorrow

Eternity stinks, my darling. That’s no joke
Don’t waste your precious time
pretending you’re heartbroken

There will be tears and candles
Pretty words to say
Spare me lily-white lillies
With the awful perfume of decay

Banish all dismay
Extinguish every sorrow
If I’m lost or I’m forgiven
The birds will still be singing

It’s so hard to tear myself away
Even when you know it’s over
It’s too much to say.

Banish all dismay
Extinguish every sorrow
If I’m lost or I’m forgiven
The birds will still be singing

Lindsay Kesselman

Lindsay Kesselman is a twice GRAMMY®-nominated soprano known for her warm, collaborative spirit and investment in personal, intimate communication with audiences. She regularly collaborates with orchestras, wind symphonies, chamber ensembles, opera/theater companies, and new music ensembles across the United States, often premiering, touring and recording new works written for her by living composers. She is a passionate advocate for contemporary music, and has commissioned/premiered over 100 works to date.

Recent and upcoming highlights include performances of Darkening, then Brightening by Christopher Cerrone across the country, National CBDNA with the UNC Greensboro Wind Ensemble, premieres of wind transcriptions of Caroline Shaw’s Is a Rose and Maria Schneider’s Winter Morning Walks, Pierrot Lunairewith Ensemble ATL, Energy in All Directions by Kenneth Frazelle with Sandbox Percussion at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the role of Anna in Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins with the Charlotte Symphony, Astronautica: Voices of Women in Space with Voices of Ascension, the John Corigliano 80th birthday celebration at National Sawdust (2018), a leading role in Louis Andriessen’s opera Theatre of the World with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Dutch National Opera and an international tour of Einstein on the Beach with the Philip Glass Ensemble (2012-2015).

She is featured on several recent recordings, including: David Biedenbender’s all we are given we cannot hold (2023, Blue Griffin), Chris Cerrone’s opera In a Grove (2023, In a Circle Records), Caroline Shaw’s Is a Rose (2023, Blue Griffin), Chris Cerrone’s The Arching Path (2021, In a Circle Records), and Louis Andriessen’s Theatre of the World with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (2017, Nonesuch).

Kesselman is Assistant Professor of Voice and Choral Music at UNC Greensboro and co-directs the Heretic’s Guide to Musicianship with Kevin Noe. She holds degrees in voice performance and music education from Rice University and Michigan State University. She is represented by Trudy Chan at Black Tea Music and lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband Kevin Noe and son Rowan.

Marjorie Bagley

Violinist Marjorie Bagley joined the faculty at UNCG in the Fall of 2009 after teaching violin and chamber music at Ohio University in Athens, OH. She began her professional career as first violinist and founding member of the Arcata String Quartet upon graduating from the Manhattan School of Music as a student of Pinchas Zukerman. The Arcata Quartet enjoyed nearly a decade of performances around the US and Europe, including concerts in London’s Wigmore Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie, and their NYC debut in Town Hall. They can be heard in recordings on the VOX label, alongside members of the Tokyo and American Quartets. Her love of chamber music continues to this day as she performs with colleagues in NC and around the country, exploring classic and contemporary repertoire.

Bagley is Concertmaster of the Greensboro Symphony under the direction of Christopher Dragon. This season, she performed as soloist alongside mandolin player Chris Thile, and next season brings a solo appearance in Vaughn-Williams’ classic Lark Ascending. Bagley performed as both Associate Concertmaster and Principal Second Violin in the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, OH, under the direction of Music Director David Danzmayr and Principal Guest Artist Vadim Gluzman. For two decades, Bagley performed as member of the Berkshire Bach Society with keyboardist Kenneth Cooper.

Summers have taken Bagley to many festivals as both teacher and performer. The Arcata Quartet performed across Europe over several summers, including a concert at the Rheingau Music Festival. Her path as a teacher began at the Meadowmount Music School where she was an assistant teacher, and continued at a variety of summer chamber music festivals for high school  students across the country. For six summers, Bagley was an assistant teacher at the Perlman Music Program. She has been on faculty at the Kinhaven Music School and the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and the International Music Academy Plzen in the Czech Republic. Bagley was an artist teacher at the Brevard Music Festival for eleven summers where she frequently served as concertmaster.

Professor Bagley continues to give masterclasses and performances at universities around the US. She remains fascinated by the unique qualities of each student she interacts with, looking to combine an understanding of violin technique and learning strategies to help each student move towards their potential. She also loves to perform and teach works by living composers and works that draw from a variety of musical styles.

After growing up in Wingate, NC, she received her BM summa cum laude in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan and an MM from the Manhattan School of Music. Teachers and coaches have included Pinchas Zukerman, Josef Gingold, Patinka Kopec, Isidore Cohen, and members of the Tokyo and American String Quartets. Three decades of performances have taken her to five continents and led to many inspiring musical collaborations. She can be heard in recordings on the Equilibrium, Centaur, Albany, Summit, and VOX labels. Bagley’s time away from the violin is filled with family adventures alongside her husband, physics professor Ian Beatty, and their three children.

Siana Wong

Siana Wong is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, with Malaysian heritage. Before attending college, she was a member of the Greensboro and Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestras, winning their concerto competition and performing as a soloist with them. She pursued her Bachelor of Music degree at UNC Chapel Hill under the tutelage of Nicholas DiEugenio, as well as a BA in biology. During her time at Chapel Hill Siana was also a winner of the concerto competition. Siana is an avid chamber music performer in and out of her home state of NC, including performances with EMF and UNCG faculty. Siana spent many summers at the Luby Violin Symposium at Chapel Hill, having the opportunity to learn from first-class violinists from around the globe. She has also attended the Instrumental Program of Chautauqua Institution and participated in master classes with Ana Luque, Shannon Thomas, and others.

Siana is a member of Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Western Piedmont Symphony, and she has recently been appointed Associate Concertmaster of  Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her performing career, she enjoys teaching in her private studio.

Currently, Siana is extending her studies at UNCG, pursuing a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in violin performance with Dr. Fabián López.

She plays on a Wojciech Topa violin from 2017.

Scott Rawls

Violist Scott Rawls has appeared as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Europe.  Recent chamber music endeavors include performances with Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Branford Marsalis, Sergey Antonov, Michelle Cann and the Reynolda Quartet.  With the Nikkanen/Rawls/Bailey string trio, he has played tours in Alaska, Washington, Arizona and Texas.  His solo and chamber music recordings can be heard on the Centaur, CRI, Nonesuch, Capstone, and Philips labels.

A strong proponent of new music, Rawls has premiered dozens of new works by prominent
composers.  Most notable, he has toured extensively as a member of Steve Reich and Musicians.  As the violist in this ensemble, he performed the numerous premieres of Daniel Variations, The Cave and Three Tales by Steve Reich and Beryl Korot, videographer. And under the auspices of presenting organizations such as the Wiener Festwochen, Festival d’Automne a Paris, Holland Festival, Berlin Festival, Spoleto Festival USA and the Lincoln Center Festival, he has performed in major music centers around the world including London, Vienna, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Prague, Amsterdam, Brussels, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

Under the baton of maestro Christopher Dragon, he plays principal viola in the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.  During the summer season, Rawls plays principal in the festival orchestra at Brevard Music Center where he also coordinates the viola program.  He was also appointed principal viola of the Palm Beach Opera orchestra, David Stern artistic director.

Dr. Rawls currently serves as Marion Stedman Covington Distinguished Professor of Viola and Chamber Music and String Area Chair at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He holds a BM degree from Indiana University and a MM and DMA from State University of New York at Stony Brook. His major mentors include Abraham Skernick, Georges Janzer, John Graham and Julius Levine.

Cori Trenczer

Cori Trenczer is a cellist, chamber musician, and teacher from the Hudson Valley region of New York. Coming from a musical family and a family of educators, Cori is both an avid performer and a teacher to a robust studio of cello students. Cori has their Bachelor’s Degree in Cello Performance from the Eastman School of Music and they are pursuing a Masters Degree in Cello Performance with Professor Ezerman at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Cori is also a section cellist with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, as well as a substitute cellist with the Winston-Salem Symphony and the South Carolina Philharmonic. A devoted chamber musician, Cori has furthered their experience with their classmates in the Juniper Quartet, along with colleagues at summer programs such as the Castleman Quartet Program, Green Lake Chamber Music Institute, and Emerald Coast Festival of Music.

Also passionate about contemporary music, Cori has played in various new music ensembles including but not limited to: OSSIA New Music, Musica Nova, and Switch~Ensemble. They have worked with several composer colleagues during their undergraduate degree and their masters so far, and would absolutely love to explore more newly created work. Cori currently has a studio of 11 online cello students, ranging from age 10 to mid 20s. Cori is on the faculty at Moore Music Company where they teach an additional 5 students in person. Cori also teaches 2 students in person through the UNCG Community Lessons Program.

Cori is in the process of creating and editing a method book called “Smorgasbord for your Fingerboard: Volume One Songs for the Beginning Cellist”. This is a method book full of works by living young composers from many underrepresented groups.