On January 11th, 2023, an 18-year-old student from Indiana University Bloomington was stabbed in the head multiple times on a local bus. The stabber assumed the student was "Chinese," saying in an interview with the police, “it would be one less person to blow up our country.”
The crime was unprovoked; the stabber and the victim did not know one another. The victim was waiting for the bus door to open in order to get off when she was suddenly assaulted with a folding knife. The attacker then put the knife back into her pocket and returned to her seat as if nothing had happened. Soon afterwards, she exited the bus. She was charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, battery by means of a deadly weapon, and a hate crime.
I wrote Silent Theater in response to this horrific incident. It is dedicated to everyone who has suffered from racial injustice and hate. There is nothing more heartbreaking than senseless hatred and violence, enabled by ignorance, indifference, and by turning a blind eye to others’ suffering.
Performer Credits
National Orchestral Institute + Festival Philharmonic Orchestra
