Since the start of 2020, Landscape Music’s composers have been commemorating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with projects engaging environmental themes at the forefront of our global consciousness.
Our activities culminate this week with the 51st Earth Day! In this post, explore our:
- Free online event this Wednesday (4/21)
- Music video release
- Round-up of featured Earth Year projects
- Spotlights on the newest members of our network
Free Event This Wednesday, 4/21
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 5:00pm PDT
Learn more and register now
Composers from Landscape Music and musicians from Citywater, Sacramento’s premier new music ensemble, present their work in a free online event with the Visions of the Wild Film and Arts Festival, presented by the U.S. Forest Service and Vallejo Community Arts Foundation.
The audience will hear the World Premiere performances of two brand new works for flute and cello by Juhi Bansal and Daniel Morel, celebrating diverse locales from the biosphere reserves of the Azores to the apple orchards of Missouri. Composers Nell Shaw Cohen, Derek Keller, and Ryan Suleiman will introduce excerpts from their works, which respond to Andy Goldsworthy’s land art; the Sacramento watershed; and the devastation of the 2017 Sonoma wildfires, respectively.
This live presentation will conclude with an audience Q&A. Join us!
New Music Video by Anne Vanschothorst
JUST RELEASED! Video “more birds more happiness” highlights sustainable energy through the beauty of wind power. New music for harp and soundscapes by Landscape Music composer Anne Vanschothorst are paired with film & photography of wind turbines in Zeeland, Netherlands.
“Between nature and music there is a mysterious, irreplaceable and eternal mystical connection. Besides conducting a symphony of sounds, nature gives, just like music, a source of inspiration and a place to be oneself.” Read more & watch the video!
More Earth Year Projects from Our Artists
In YouTube series Reflections on Music and Nature, Ryan Suleiman interviews composers, performers, and musical curators about the role of the natural world in their work in these troubled times.
Christina Rusnak‘s two new works for chamber ensemble, Dune and Water and Stone, are inspired by her time in Mojave National Preserve and Death Valley National Park.
Michael Futreal‘s short film Sentinels features animated photography scored with new music, evoking overlooked elements of a landscape that take on an animistic, mythic character.
Blueprints for Hope is a new work for concert band by Katherine Bergman in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, commissioned and premiered by a consortium of seven ensembles.
Spotlight on New Members
American Wild Ensemble (Springfield, MO)
Founded through a national touring initiative celebrating the National Park Service centennial, American Wild Ensemble encourages audiences to explore their environments through a different lens.
“American Wild Ensemble celebrates the people, places, and stories that shape American history and culture.” Visit American Wild Ensemble’s profile.
Michael-Thomas Foumai (Honolulu, HI)
Many of Foumai’s “vibrant and cinematic” works are inspired by his Hawaiʻi home.
“It is vital for me to create and to use music to tell the stories of our time, of what was, is and may come in the ever changing landscape of our blue island earth.” Visit Foumai’s profile.
Randy J. Gibson (Philadelphia, PA)
Gibson’s “Tacony Creek Suite” is a monumental reflection of the beauty and travails of an under-appreciated green space in Philadelphia.
“My compositions are all duality in nature.” Visit Gibson’s profile.
Ayumi Okada (New York, NY)
Rich with melodic interest and storytelling, Okada’s music captures her impressions of scenery in New York City and Kyoto, Japan.
“Drawing a landscape with music is one of my biggest inspirations in composing.” Visit Okada’s profile.
Jessi Harvey (Saint Paul, MN)
Harvey’s music, “full of surprises and consistently attention holding,” integrates creation with social and environmental causes.
“My music draws back to my childhood in the mountains of Montana.” Visit Harvey’s profile.
Takuma Itoh (Honolulu, HI)
Itoh’s “brashly youthful and fresh” works raise awareness of Hawai‘i’s many endangered bird species.
“What I find most meaningful in my work is connecting with people.” Visit Itoh’s profile.
View our full list of 32 members (and growing!).
