The New Consort | Ysaÿe Barnwell: Wanting Memories

"I thought that you were gone, but now I know you're with me..."

A long-time member of Sweet Honey in the Rock, Ysaÿe Barnwell wrote "Wanting Memories" in 1990, dedicating it to her father. Few songs have ever captured the experience of healing from grief with such incisiveness. "Wanting Memories" begins in shock and despair in the face of loss; then, through remembrances of all the beautiful things our lost loved ones have taught us, it brings gratitude and consolation to listener and singer alike.

This performance is from The New Consort’s March 2024 program RETURN/REVIVE, curated by Artistic Director Brian Mummert.

The New Consort is
Agnes Coakley
Caroline Olsen
Haitham Haidar
Jacob Perry
Brian Mummert
Jonathan Woody

Recorded by Oliver Weston & Mie White at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts on March 3, 2024