Mea Pulpa (2026)

15 minutes - for soprano & ensemble

Performed by Talea Ensemble - March 20, 2026 - New York, USA

​​​

Talea Ensemble

​

Sharon Harms, soprano

James Baker, conductor

Barry Crawford, flute

Gleb Kanasevich, clarinet

Adrian Morejon, bassoon

Nicolee Kuester, horn

Mike Lormand, trombone

Sae Hashimoto, percussion

Dan Lippel, electric guitar

Stephen Gosling, piano

Karen Kim, violin

Martine Thomas, viola

Chris Gross, cello

Victoria Cheah, production director

Stephanie Liu, development director

 

Recorded by David Adamcyk

Mixed and mastered by Murat Çolak

Filmed by Joshua Mastel

 

Program Notes 

 

Mea Pulpa (My Flesh) is a penitential lament that confronts one fundamental question: does guilt belong in the self, or in the body? Should the subject bear the blame for their choices, or is their supposed agency merely an emergent facet of material existence, inextricably bound to a vessel driven by deterministic forces? While Mea Pulpa frames this age-old conflict in dualistic terms, the work ultimately reveals that self and body are one and the same, reflecting different aspects of a single entity. Accordingly, rather than uttering the traditional confession "Mea culpa" (my fault), the penitent one sings, "It's my body('s fault)." The distinction between object and subject thus gradually blurs throughout the piece, as the body itself becomes a physical manifestation of guilt, inseparable from the self. Though neither can be deemed truly blameworthy, both must endure the burden.​​​​​​