Aural Compass Projects is a musical arts organization dedicated to performing new and underperformed works of composers from all parts of the world, especially those who have been intentionally and unrightfully censored and suppressed (people of color, women, lgbtq, etc.). It is our mission to bring awareness to issues and demographics that we believe are underrepresented in the arts through beautiful and provocative performances. We believe that bringing light to these issues while cultivating a space for new music is our duty as artistic ambassadors and is incredibly important for the collective growth of our community and world.
Aural Compass Projects is the brainchild of Dicky Dutton and Michael Lewis. In December 2018, the couple paired up to put together a recital, Living Scars, which focuses on trauma and the difficult process of emotional healing. The performance is a combination of vocal art songs, folk songs, musical theater pieces, poetry readings and stories related to the shared human experience of trauma. This multimedia performance allows the audience to view trauma and healing through different lenses in hope that the subject of trauma becomes less taboo in our conversations as we, as a community, help each other heal. Dicky and Michael teamed up with La Frontera - local Phoenix suicide prevention center - and Master Addiction and Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Amy Morris, to provide physical and online resources for trauma healing.
After the success of the initial two performances of Living Scars, the duo wanted to continue creating performances that speak to the heart of their community. They decided to form ACP as a way to extend meaningful musical performances to a wider audience.
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