Spines
By Joe Beribak
Artist Statement
Our Church is both local and universal. This universality and locality encompass geography, culture, and time. An historical examination that honors Truth acknowledges the blessings and injustices of the cultural collaborations colonialism here in the Americas has brought. As Christians, the parable of the wheat and tares speaks to such circumstances. The master instructs the servant to allow the tares and wheat to coexist until the time of the harvest so as not to pull up what is good in an effort to root out the bad. This parable seems particularly important in this context, where the ultimate goodness of Jesus Christ was brought to the Americas amid the cultural oppression of colonialism. We live in a land where it is difficult to hear the wisdom of the peoples who have inhabited our land for centuries before the arrival of colonizers. I, myself, am a descendant of colonizers who arrived long after the establishment of a hegemony of European culture in the Americas. In Spines, I propose to continue the work of artists who have labored to hear this wisdom. Spines is a “footprint” piece, where instrumentation of a previous masterwork is the starting point for the compositional process. Spines borrows the instrumentation of Toccata by Carlos Chavez, who devoted considerable energy to studying the music of the Indios in his native Mexico. I blended the use of these instruments with approaches to music composition of the digital age. As Carlos Chavez blended the musical forms of Europe with the sounds of the Indios, I blend his instrumental palette with my own musical influences. Spines invites the listener to enter into this dialogue with peoples of the past. Ultimately, it is an invitation to listen to the Holy Spirit, who binds us all together as one people of God.
About the Artist
Joe Beribak is an Elgin, Illinois native currently living in DeKalb where he is pursuing a Masters in Music Composition at Northern Illinois University. He has studied percussion performance extensively, receiving a Bachelor of Music in 2009 from DePaul University and an Artists Diploma from The Colburn Conservatory in 2013. Joe studied Gregorian Chant at the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Chicago from 2018 to 2020, where he was a novice. Since leaving the monastery, he has rededicated himself to teaching and composing. Joe has released his work as a percussionist both under his own name and with Smoke & Mirrors Percussion Ensemble, which he founded during his time at The Colburn Conservatory. Alongside his composition studies, Joe teaches percussion at Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestras. Three of Joe’s recent compositions were premiered this year in the Chicagoland area: Te Alabaré for choir, Nign Variations and Fugue for percussion ensemble, and I will extol you, Lord for choir and organ. More recently, Joe has undertaken collaborative projects with his wife Elena Beribak. Through the practice of careful mutual listening, Joe and Elena are crafting rich and meaningful musical storytelling performances together. They hope to continue fruitful collaboration for years to come.