A work by UC Davis music department chair and professor Laurie San Martin with words by Lucy Corin, professor of English, will have its world premiere Nov. 18. “Witches” will be performed by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble and the vocal ensemble Volti Nov. 18 in Berkeley and Nov. 19 in San Francisco.

“Like so many of Lucy Corin’s writings, this first line — ‘Three girls, maybe eight each, lean over a pothole of water, stirring with sticks’ — from her short, short story Witches drew me in immediately,’ said San Martin. “Corin captures the dark but playful imagination of young girls.”

The piece is for chamber chorus with two oboes and cello. The chorus sings simple and playful rounds, while the instruments play thorny abstract gestures. As the music continues, and the story unfolds, the instruments and chorus come closer together.

The story is included in Corin’s 2013 story collection One Hundred Apocalypses and Other Apocalypses.

San Martin’s recent awards include the 2018 Andrew Imbrie Award in Music from the Academy of Arts and Letters and a 2016 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. She earned her undergraduate degree from UC Davis and doctorate from Brandeis University.

The concerts will also include the first performances of “Murmurations” for oboes and strings by music composition doctoral student Addie Camsuzou.  

Students, faculty and staff at UC Davis can purchase $10 tickets to the concert by using the promotional code DAVIS10.