This is a video of a live performance of Katrina Ballads & of CNN footage of Anderson Cooper & Mary Landrieu reacting to the federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

The KATRINA BALLADS is a brand new collection of songs inspired by the tragic events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. This work uses entirely primary-source texts to paint a rich musical portrait of that devastating and telling week in September 2005. Setting the words of flood survivors, relief workers, politicians and celebrities, New York composer Ted Hearne creates a cutting-edge musical experience and a vivid look into America's darkest hours. The music is rhythmic, theatrical, and American to the core, possessing an edgy post-minimalist drive and a deep jazz influence. It is a moving performance, challenging us to remember and reflect upon our own history.

Credits – Katrina Ballads
Performance as part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival
May 31, 2007 at the Circular Congregational Church in Charleston, SC
composed and directed by Ted Hearne
performed by New Music Collective and Yes is a World

Allison Semmes, soprano (Mary Landrieu)
Anthony Turner, baritone (Anderson Cooper)
Abby Fischer, mezzo-soprano
Isaiah Robinson, tenor

Film footage by Anna Shillinglaw
Edited by Farrah Hoffmire