Shoes (1916) with live film score by Alexis Cuadrado

Spanish bassist and composer Alexis Cuadrado performs the new original film score composed for the 1916 silent film, “Shoes,” directed by the American pioneer female filmmaker Lois Weber.

The Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and SPAIN arts & culture present the world premiere and live performance of a new original film score composed by Alexis Cuadrado for the 1916 silent film Shoes.

Shoes (1916)

• Directed by Lois Weber.
• Music by Alexis Cuadrado.
• Ensemble: Kavita Shah, voice; Naadje Noordhuis, trumpet; Amy Kang, cello; Luis Perdomo, piano; Christos Rafalides, vibraphone; Alexis Cuadrado, bass; and Shirazette Tinnin, drums.
• Followed by a discussion with the composer.

Shoes follows the story of a young woman who struggles to replace her only pair of shoes, which are falling to pieces, while supporting a family of six with a deadbeat father. According to the composer, “the score is in conversation with the film across a century’s divide on the fight for women’s rights, poverty and workers’ rights, and how these issues continue to plague our world today. This piece is a statement that helps us reflect on how we do or don’t evolve as a society.”