Amelia Winger-Bearskin was commissioned to create a new performance piece inspired by a chant book from the Glencairn Museum's collection in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. This museum, dedicated to religious art and history, annually hosts the Sacred Arts Festival, where the piece will debut on April 28th, 2024. The composition, titled Glimpse, emerged from a brief encounter with the book. Winger-Bearskin embarked on a creative journey while only viewing a chant fragment, using AI to imagine a complete chant. Her work integrates vocal elements, bird and water sounds, and digital instrumentation.

The process behind Glimpse involved AI for generative modeling and Latin translation alongside natural audio recordings and traditional music-making methods. While ChatGPT played a minor role, it contributed to the project's interpretation of misremembered text and joining fragments of chants from the book together. Winger-Bearskin’s methodology also included memory-based translation and digital tools, highlighting a blend of ancient inspiration and contemporary technology.

Sacred Arts Festival

Conversation with ChatGPT

Lux aeterna, nos ducat,
(Eternal light, lead us,)

In tenebris, nos protegat.
(In darkness, protect us.)

Aqua pura, nos lavat,
(Pure water, cleanse us,)

Nos ad vitam, vocat.
(Calls us to life.)

In unitate, ambulemus,
(In unity, may we walk,)

Ad aeternam, gloriam.
(Towards eternal glory.)