Anche nei tempi bui
Si canterà?
Anche si canterà
Dei tempi bui.
-Bertolt Brecht, Le Poesie di Svendborg (1938)

​In the dark times
Will there also be singing?
Yes, there will also be singing.
About the dark times.
-Bertolt Brecht, Svendborg Poems (1938)

This is a participatory sound installation by American composer William Dougherty, specifically built for the Villa Sciarra Park in Rome. Passers-by are invited into the space. After depressing a pedal, the participant is invited to sing, hum, or whistle "a song that brings you joy." The participant is anonymously recorded. After releasing the pedal, the sound of a random previous participant is played through speakers in the space. A sonic collage of the recordings will be crafted and played out of a building at the Villa Aurelia as part of a concert organized by the American Academy in Rome on May 20th 2021. The Rome-based string quartet Quartetto Sincronie will perform with this fixed media collage of singers. More details to follow.