Projects

Latest Work:

Pandora’s Box

In collaboration with director Jerome Fleg and guest conductor Erik Johnson, I created videos for the Santa Rosa Junior College Symphonic Band and Jazz Band. In the myth of Pandora’s Box, Pandora was given a box by Zeus and instructed never to open it. Curiousity got the better of her and she opened the box and released misery, illness, and other vices into the world. Realizing her mistake she quickly shut the box. Unfortunately everything had escaped the box except hope.

That’s certainly how it feels - that all the evils have been unleashed into the world and hope is hard to find.

In this concert through music and visual art we asked the questions of what it means to be American in the face of rising racism. What does it mean to be human with the rise of AI in the job market. What does it mean to be human? Well, it means to make things. To have fun. To have memories. To make mistakes and do better.

Still from "Falling"
Medusa
Fox
Idea for "Elements of Gratitude" concert

Animated drawings

Some images want to move a bit more.

Practice Diaries

When I work on music, I open myself to emotionally connect.

This brings up memories or ideas. I share them in the hopes of encouraging others to talk about their experiences.

Chickadee!

Feeding the birds at work, the most fearless ones I've seen are the some of the smallest. Chickadees never lack courage! They inspired this song and animation. Hope you enjoy it!

Falling

With just a line; whether it’s a border or symbol or a name, a living being becomes “other.” Falling is about simply wanting to live but being at the mercy of those who do whatever they want with the land. As we fail to figure out how to live together, we are all falling. (Additional concept ideas: Steven Speciale, Deanna Lamour. Reference model: Radha Romero.)

Who’s There?

Who’s There? invited members of the choir into a creative process of making sounds based on word prompts. Then we made a choral instrument and experimented with ways to conduct it. Some words we worked with: Anticipation, Change, Action, Surrender, Anger, Joy, Compromise, Stress, Horror, Compassion, and Anxiety.

One More Step

It’s difficult to keep going once you feel like you’ve done all you can. Some days seem hopeless. And sometimes we need the help of friends to take One More Step. SRJC choir members explored topics of depression and accessibility in music performances as part of the process of learning One More Step. A Dreamer collaborated with SRJC choirs to present an ASL interpretation of the song.

Call To An Open Sky

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Artists Power Convening Grant

Performed by the Santa Rosa Junior College Concert Choir March 15th, 2023 Jody Benecke, Director Nancy Hayashibara, Composer/Pianist

My friend Steve shared with me the story of the Kauai o’o bird. In 1987 an ornithologist (H. Douglas Pratt) recorded the calls of an o’o bird. This was probably the last of its kind, calling out to an empty forest, an empty sky.

Call to an Open Sky is a project I started out of feelings of frustration and sadness about animal extinctions and the loss of wild spaces. I didn’t even know these feelings had a name until recently. This kind of sadness and depression is known as solastalgia.

Working with art and music has always been a way for me to explore deep emotions. It provides a way to connect with other people and discuss things.

The Walk

Here’s The Walk.

It’s about a dog in love with a walk.

Stretched between looking into the sky as far as the eye can see and pressing to the ground to feel as far as a body can listen, what do you understand?

Crow Brings the Rain

This is a story about animals during a drought. The music was originally for two sopranos and piano. I rearranged it for winds, harp, and double bass. The words for the song; although not used here, also reflect the journey of the characters in this story.

Siyahamba

Zulu Song edited by Doreen Rao

SRJC Chamber Singers Class Instructor: Jody Benecke

Backing Track, Animations, Audio and Video: Nancy Hayashibara

Cantique de Jean Racine

Santa Rosa Junior College Concert Choir's virtual performance of Gabriel Faure's Cantique de Jean Racine.

Soloist: Abigail Summers, Cello

Choral direction: Jody Benecke

Backing Track/Audio/visual editing: Nancy Hayashibara

Sing to Me

As part of remote learning for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, SRJC Concert Choir students created a virtual presentation of "Sing To Me." Included in the video are quotes from students about their choral experience with remote learning.

This video was awarded First Prize in the International Youth Music Competitions Large Group Choir category, February 2021. https://www.internationalyouthmusiccompetitions.org/winners.html

This is the audio only version I recorded with my friend, Deanna Lamour. We live across country from each other. For this project I used a kalimba for the opening and midi instruments for the rest. I sent Deanna the music file and she sang into her phone and sent me the vocal line. Then I put them together.

If you would like to work together on making some animations or stories, drop me a line at info@nancyhayashibara.com