poem|music
Justin Spenner, Baritone
Carson Rose Schneider, Piano
poem|music has been noted for their “tangible, equal, and beautiful, collaborative energy” (Life in Revue). Their programs excavate and extrapolate historic art music/poetry for our current age of anxiety, prominently featuring composers overlooked by academia and traditional producers.
The duo most recently presented NORSE/NORGE, a centuries-spanning deep dive into isolationism in Scandinavian song/poetry. Featuring Alf Hurum, Agathe Backer Grøndahl, Tallest Man On Earth, and more.
Previous projects include two performances of Schubert’s Winterreise in 2024 - a meditative recital at First UCC in Northfield, and a multi-media concert at The Hive Collaborative in St. Paul. Obviously obsessed with the cycle, poem|music produced an abstract dance film of Winterreise in 2021 called I Enter as a Stranger.
The duo also hosts an ongoing song series curated by B-Sides Art Song at art hubs like galleries, record stores, and coffee houses. What’s next? only restlessness can tell.
“Only a line or two from each song is translated into English... but the emotions are clear. And the emotions are heartbreak and desperation.”
“The connection is tangible. Schneider is not just playing piano, but is actively engaged in the drama with Spenner...It is an equal and beautifully matched energy between the two.”
poem|music is available to book! Collaborations could include house concerts, concert series appearances, masterclasses, academic research, community events, just hanging over beers, anything moody, and whatever you dream up with a budget.
Inquiries: justin@barispen.com