Shreve’s musical exploration of human tragedies in the 20th Century. The text is largely original, with a number of parts containing quotes from other famous writers and historians.

“Portraits of the 20th Century evokes the significance and timelessness of some of the darkest moments of our last century,” says Georgia Shreve. The year 2000 closed a century during which the maladies and horrors of our civilization stood out in stark relief. The 12th century writing of Hildegard of Bingen contains prescient warnings about the desecration of the environment. The ironic setting of The Art of War by Sun Tzu from the 6th century BC evokes the decades of gruesome war in the 20th.   James Agee’s more recent text vividly chronicles the poignant experiences of the depression. In the last two decades alone, we have witnessed the recurrence of all of these nightmares. My oratorio, Portraits of the 20th Century, speaks not just to the last century, but to all centuries.”