Gary Keenan

Don Ciro (1D)#

Artist’s Statement#

I am a poet and musician. These two art forms have their differences, but they also share common elements: phrasing, tempo, dynamics, tone and rhythm are all features of language and music. Since moving to Colombia in 2024, I have been working with Tunia Teatro and director Phanor Teran on music for various productions, a continuation of my work with theater and dance groups in New York City where I lived for 34 years. This current piece, Don Ciro (1D), is from a score I arranged and composed for Los Desaparecidos, a play by Phanor Teran that has been in development for about two years. I created this music about 15 years ago in New York as a demo for my song Slow Samba, now remixed with ambient sounds and treatments of brass band music recorded in my home in Colombia. The entire work is about 14 minutes long; this four minute excerpt supports a scene in the play’s final act in which two actors struggle to find the remains of a loved one. I play the guitars, keyboard organ and bass with a drum loop. I have performed the song with my band American String Conspiracy in New York and plan to do so again in a show in Colombia later in the summer.

About the Artist#

Gary Keenan’s band, American String Conspiracy, performed in the New York City area for twenty years before he moved to Colombia to work in independent theater. Find more of his music at revberbnation.com/americanstringconspiracy.