By Isabel Vorst | Intern
North Richland Hills senior Annalise Shero’s musical thesis project, a three-year venture, culminated onstage on Saturday. Her composition and direction of “Tē Kallistē” wove a beautiful tale, encouraging discourse on the nature of beauty through the reimagining of the nine Muses from Greek mythology.
Shero did this all while focusing on the story through a Christian lens.
One of the most interesting aspects of the play was the characterization of the nine Muses, whose costumes, personas and songs distinctly emulated each of their characters. Each Muse wore a beautiful crown or wreath, carefully coordinated with their dress to emphasize the uniqueness of their personalities.
The band included saxophone, flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, piano, guitar, upright bass and drums, creating a diverse soundtrack for each of the Muses. From a jazzy tune sung by the Muse of comedic theatre to an impressive rap section performed by the Muse of music, Shero’s composition demonstrated immense talent.
Her boldness in attempting to step into these different genres, intertwined with the successful composition and direction of nine diverse types of music, showcases incredible insight, skill and dedication.
Wake Forest, N.C., junior Isaac Bostic commented on the creativity and impressiveness of Shero, taking the characters of the nine muses, typically thought of as a group, and individualizing them to create her own unique, distinct characters.
“The interpretation of the music was probably the most interesting thing to me,” Bostic said. “Both in the words they used, but also the music. For example, we see Polyhymnia, which is the sacred sound, and it sounds like sacred music. She even incorporates some Christian hymns into her songs.”
Shero’s contemplation of beauty through the Muses’ discourse, championed by the revelation of Boethius’ Lady Philosophy, embodies the mission of Baylor’s Honors College.
You can really see “Tē Kallistē” was created by a University Scholars major who has had the chance to deeply, thoughtfully explore and consider the implications and connections between ancient literature and art.
Shero’s thoughtful composition showcases how the ancient great texts planted seeds for the truth to be revealed in Christ.
“I thought it was a really creative way to investigate what beauty is,” Austin sophomore Hailey Collins said. “The discord and philosophy switchup at the end, I thought, was really well done.”
Shero’s clever integration of key biblical themes, Scripture references and the unity of Christian storytelling through scenes rooted in Greek mythology create a profound story that makes you reconsider how pagan classics and Christian Scripture work together.
Each of her compositions invokes references to Scripture, including imagery from the Garden of Eden, removing one’s shoes when standing on holy ground, the Lord’s Prayer and the grief of Mother Mary as she watches her dying son.
These allusions were beautifully integrated into the music, keeping in perfect character with each Muse while offering insight into how the eternal questions present in pagan literature are fulfilled in Christ.
“I’m amazed by her ability to combine art, visual art and music, as well as the philosophy of it,” Collins said. “The fact that one person wrote and composed all of this is incredible.”
