Robinson-Holness ’24 and Otero Barrera ’23 Present Culminating Production
Zachary Robinson-Holness ’24 (Bachelor of Arts in Collaborative Audio Arts) and Valeria Otero Barrera ’23 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design & Production – Lighting Design) are partnering to present their culminating production, “Fly Between Extremes,” at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, in the Harold Herman Lab Theatre (HHLT).
“Raise the music environment” has been a core foundation with Somos Nos, Robinson-Holness and Otero Barrea’s three different self-advocated ventures. From the artist’s narrative of a semester, to summer’s timeline of recklessness, to an amalgamation of Shenandoah’s talent, and now the final page in 571’s era of live performances on campus.
“Fly Between Extremes” is an all-in music event that also signifies the end of the artists’ time together at Shenandoah. 571 (Robinson-Holness) will perform more unreleased music and one of his upcoming releases, “Wah Yuh Strings,” in the first half of his set. The second half will consist of a preview and display of his upcoming mixtape, “it’s just me saving the world,” set to release in 2024. Also performing will be the reprised roles from artists in Somos Nos’s second production “Thursdays,” as well as an off-campus artist who is no stranger to Shenandoah Jay Ross. New faces will also be performing — it wouldn’t be a Somos Nos production without upping the ante!
“Alas, we have reached the end. 3 for 3, our passions, our aspirations and our dedication, have gotten us this far, now to reap what we have sowed. We hope to deliver an even bigger, better, bolder performance than those of the past. Having this be my last opportunity to create such an intimate project, it has given me the perspective to see the path that I decided for myself, and all the progress I’ve made. The storylines we’ve told are no longer performances, they’ve transformed into an experience you will bear witness to. To me, this final project is a form of expression. Being able to exasperate through my medium provides an emotional satisfaction I did not know a job could give. I’ve gone from an unaware student to a storytelling sculptor. I know that this show is an end to my time here, but not the end to productions with Zach but without a doubt we have truly flown through extremes to get here.”
– Valeria Otero Barrea
“When Val asked me this past summer to return with performance-worthy music, I accepted the challenge. I dealt with a lot of hardships last semester and this past summer. I traveled, I grew and I faced adversity internally and externally. I’m proud of the work that we’ve done this semester. With ‘I Wasn’t Thinking (Where I’ve Been),’ I performed a setlist of self-generated music. With ‘Thursdays,’ we allowed the spotlight to shine on other artists and we were able to use our love and dedication for our passions to be a part of the community rather than separate us. Now with ‘Fly Between Extremes,’ it’s a sendoff, our last show in my ‘It Was Fun’ music tour on campus with Val. The strides that both them and I went through to get here, it would be nothing less than navigating through extremes.”
– Zachary Robinson-Holness
