SMU Meadows School of the Arts and the Corsicana Artist and Writer Residency present the world premiere ofA Rural Requiem, co-sponsored by SMU Libraries and Clements Center for Southwest Studies.

The 11-movement work by Cody Criswell-Badillo, performed by the East Coast ensemble earspace under the direction of Richard Drehoff, maps the structure of a traditional requiem onto the music and stories of rural Texas. Drawing from Texas folk traditions, Baptist hymns, corridos and shape-note tunes, the piece unfolds as a communal elegy, equal parts remembrance and renewal. Scored for violin, viola, cello, flute, oboe, clarinet, piano, percussion, and guitar, it weaves sung vignettes with instrumental movements, each one echoing the voices of people and places that shaped the composer’s life.

Developed during Criswell-Badillo’s 2024 residency in Corsicana and inspired by his years in the oilfields of Texas and the Midwest,A Rural Requiemreflects his roots in the working-class cultures of the Southwest and his mixed Texas, Tejano and Indigenous Coahuiltecan heritage.

• Free event