What’s New? Winter 2016

Posted on by Nell Shaw Cohen
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Ryan Suleiman and Jenni Brandon Join the Composers Network

I’m delighted to welcome two excellent composers from California to the Landscape Music Composers Network!

Jenni BrandonJenni Brandon creates imaginative evocations of our experiences of nature, from woodwind meditations on driftwood and sea glass to a song cycle setting of North American Indian ceremonial texts. Her many works inspired by nature include her CD, Songs of California: Music for Winds and Piano.

Ryan SuleimanRyan Suleiman channels the sublime wonder of natural phenomena, from salt flats to moonlight, into his music for solo instruments and chamber ensembles. With his music, Ryan seeks to inspire respect for the majesty of the natural world amidst the crisis of climate change.

 

Landscape Music on NewMusicBox

I was invited to write a series of guest columns for NewMusicBox in November and December. Two of these columns focused on Landscape Music, so I’d like to share them here!

Why Landscape Music is More Important Than Ever – The intrinsic power of music to facilitate reflection and reinterpretation of life experiences makes creating Landscape Music a compelling approach to improving and deepening our connection to nature—a goal which is more important now than ever.

How Landscape Music Evokes the Natural World – What is the role of nature in culture? Why use the term “landscape” in reference to music? How can music symbolize the natural world? What are some of the specific approaches composers have taken to creating landscapes in their music?

 

What’s New? Fall 2015

Posted on by Nell Shaw Cohen
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There’s been some exciting behind-the-scenes activity going on here at Landscape Music over the last few months, but the website has been deceptively quiet! So, I thought I’d share a few updates:

Concerts in 2016

The first-ever Landscape Music Composers Network concerts are in the works for Spring and Fall of 2016 in Boston and New York, respectively, with two different programs featuring music by members of the Composers Network. These events will commemorate the centennial of the National Park Service with new music celebrating National Parks. We’re partnering with some fantastic performers and venues to bring this to life. Watch this space and follow me on Twitter for announcements in the coming months.

Justin RallsJustin Ralls Joins the Composers Network

Justin Ralls, a composer based in Portland, OR, is deeply inspired by wilderness: from his opera dramatizing the meeting of Muir and Roosevelt to his vivid works for chamber ensembles responding to natural soundscapes. Learn more on Justin’s LM profile, then check out the rest of the Composers Network roster.

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Tools of the Trade. Photo by Nell Shaw Cohen.

Nell writes for NewMusicBox

I’m honored to have been invited to contribute six articles to NewMusicBox (where my writing energies are being temporarily diverted!). The first of these articles was published today: it introduces my four-part series on new music for learning, which will explore the learning potential of music inspired by visual art as well as Landscape Music. Follow NewMusicBox on Twitter and Facebook for announcements as these articles are published.

Composing Landscape Music

Posted on by Christina Rusnak
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Editor’s Note: Christina Rusnak, guest author and Landscape Music Composers Network member, graces us with the second essay of her two-part series written for Landscape Music. Read the first essay here.

Tears welled up in the US Forest Ranger’s eyes when an audience member responded, “Hearing this piece [The Life of Ashes] has changed how I will experience the Wilderness going forward.” That moment is one of the highlights of my compositional life. Part of a competitively curated month-long exhibit for the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, the exhibit was originally limited to visual artists—but after hearing music I composed for our natural landscapes, the ranger procured the funding for the performance.1See Columbia Arts Center http://www.columbiaarts.org/more-arts/2014/8/rusnak- performance.html and Oregon Live http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2014/08/a_musical_tribute_to_mt_adams.html

…the individual landscape, the breadth of its scope, and the specificity of its details actually morph the approach and process I take in composing about one place or another.

So how do composers endeavor to “express the essence of the grandeur and the minutia…of our natural and wild places”? 2Rusnak, Christina, “Landscape as Advocacy.” https://landscapemusic.org/essays/landscape-music-as-advocacy/ Those of us who are inspired to create music about landscape feel a strong connection to the natural world that we’re writing about. While one may infer that we all begin with the same palette of musical choices, as an artist I bring my unique experiences, values and perspectives to the work. Thus, the individual landscape, the breadth of its scope, and the specificity of its details actually morph the approach and process I take in composing about one place or another. What are some common threads when I compose pieces for our national parks and wilderness areas?

Mount Adams Wilderness 2014. Photo by Christina Rusnak.

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