Performance Santa Fe presents a participatory eco-acoustic experience exploring the impact of climate change through music and community
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: Helen Pinch, Performance Santa Fe Phone: (505) 984 8759 Email: hpinch@performancesantafe.org Promotional Photos Full Press Release |
Santa Fe, NM, August 16, 2023— Acclaimed composer Matthew Burtner, in collaboration with percussionist Matthew Duvall of Eighth Blackbird, presents TRANSIENT LANDSCAPES, a mesmerizing outdoor performance installation that translates the effects of climate change into an immersive auditory experience. This ground-breaking work, making its New Mexico debut, invites audiences to perceive the intricate, awe-inspiring “voices” of an Alaskan glacier in a wholly new way.
Burtner, a pioneer in the field of in eco-acoustics, has long challenged the silent image of glaciers, claiming they are in fact “noisy animals” in danger of extinction due to our rapidly changing environment. With the help of Duvall and a large cast of community participants, Burtner brings the sounds of Alaska’s Matanuska Glacier to life. The performance maps the sounds of glacial life onto live percussion, keyboards, voice, wood blocks, and metal pipes, and includes actual field recordings from the glacier itself. Of the performance, producer Matthew Duvall says: “Through this shared experience people become indelibly connected to each other, and that time, and that place.”
The performance will be held outdoors at St. John’s. Limited seating is available, and audience members are encouraged to experience the performance as they wish – whether standing, walking, or sitting on picnic blankets or towels.
Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the sounds of our world’s glaciers translated into music. TRANSIENT LANDSCAPES is not only a performance but a testament to the urgency of climate change, and a call to action for the preservation of our shared planet.
This performance is presented in partnership with St. John’s College, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, the Coalition of Sustainable Communities New Mexico, and the Sierra Club, and is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. The performance will feature six Santa Fe Desert Chorale singers as well as participants from the UNM Music Department and 40+ community participants.
Event Details
TRANSIENT LANDSCAPES
Saturday, September 16 | 6 pm
The Fields at St. John’s College, 1160 Camino de Cruz Blanca, Santa Fe, NM 87501
$49
$20 Rush tickets available day of the performance, based on availability.
Student/educator and family discounts available
Visit https://performancesantafe.org/box-office-information/ for more information.
TRANSIENT LANDSCAPES. An outdoor performance installation by Matthew Burtner and Matthew Duvall that translates Alaska’s melting Matanuska Glacier into an immersive auditory experience. Presented by Performance Santa Fe at St. John’s College, 1160 Camino de Cruz Blanca, Santa Fe, NM 87501. September 16, 6 pm. Tickets: $49. (505) 984 8759. PerformanceSantaFe.org
23–24 Season Sponsors: Ann Murphy Daily and William W. Daily, Gina Browning and Joe Illick, Robin Black, Leah Gordon
Call for Participants
Performance Santa Fe seeks community participants to create TRANSIENT LANDSCAPES. Join Performance Santa Fe in our presentation of Transient Landscapes and create a sonic experiential glacier in Santa Fe. Opportunities for vocalists, percussionists, and performers of all types. Formal musical training not required. Visit https://performancesantafe.org/call-for-participants-transient-landscapes/ to sign up before September 1.
About the Artists
Created by Matthew Duvall, Eighth Blackbird and Matthew Burtner, EcoSono
Matthew Burtner, composer
Matthew Duvall, curator, producer, percussionist
Jocelyn Conselva, soprano
Featuring Santa Fe Desert Chorale singers
Hayden Eberhart, soprano
Jennifer Perez, soprano
Kathlene Ritch, soprano
Sarah Nickerson, alto
George Case, tenor
Edmund Connolly, baritone
Matthew McCabe, audio engineer
UNM Percussion studio participants
St. John’s College student participants
And 40+ community participants
MATTHEW BURTNER is an Alaskan-born composer, sound artist and eco-acoustician whose work explores embodiment, ecology, polytemporality and noise. His music has been featured by NASA, PBS NewsHour, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), BBC, U.S. State Department under President Obama, and National Geographic. He received an Emmy Award for “Composing Music with Snow and Glaciers” by Alaska Public Media, and honors and awards from Musica Nova, Bourges, Gaudeamus, Darmstadt, and The Russolo international music competitions. He is the recipient of an NEA Award for The Ceiling Floats Away, a collaborative work with US Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, Rita Dove. Burtner holds the position of Eleanor Shea Professor of Music at the University of Virginia where he Co-Directs the Coastal Future Conservatory and is the founder/director of the environmental music organization EcoSono.
MATTHEW DUVALL is the Artistic Director, Percussionist, and Co-Founder of Eighth Blackbird Performing Arts. Accolades include: Four GRAMMY Awards for Chamber Music Performance | The MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions | The Concert Artists Guild Competition Grand Prize | The Musical America Ensemble of the Year | The Chamber Music America Visionary Award | The APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards Performance of the Year. Creatives Includes: Commissions and World Premieres of hundreds of works | Fully Produced Theatrical Chamber Music Productions | Chamber Ensemble Concertos with both orchestras and bands | An Extensive Recording Catalog with Cedille Records. Eighth Blackbird now represents multiple mission-driven initiatives: Eighth Blackbird | Blackbird IV | The Blackbird Creative Lab | The Chicago Artists Workshop | Blackbird Productions.
Recognized for her “vocal brilliance” (City Pleasures) and “absolutely thrilling” voice (Around the Town Chicago), Metro-Detroit based soprano JOCELYN (ZELASKO) CONSELVA is a versatile musician who is celebrated as an insightful performer with a captivating stage presence. She has “shaken the halls with sublime ecstatic vocals” (I Care if You Listen) performing chamber music, opera, and art song in festivals and concerts throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and North America. Conselva is the vocalist for New Music Detroit (NMD) and a founding member of contemporary performance collective Juxtatonal (JUX). As an advocate for the creation of new works, she has commissioned 18 composers including Angélica Negrón, Marcus Elliot, Vid Smooke, Michelle McQuade Dewhirst, and Jorge Sosa. Conselva received bachelor’s degrees in vocal performance and economics from Oakland University and a master’s degree in music from the University of Iowa.
To learn more about TRANSIENT LANDSCAPES— the artists, the creators, the participants, and more, visit https://performancesantafe.org/event/transient-landscapes/
About Performance Santa Fe
Performance Santa Fe has been bringing the world’s best music, dance, and theater to iconic Santa Fe locations since 1937. The organization upholds excellence in the performing arts and brings joy and enrichment to the community. Alongside its extensive performance season, the organization runs dynamic, exciting, and inclusive educational programs for students in the community. Experience the extraordinary: Performance Santa Fe’s 2023–24 season, featuring 24 performances of music, dance, and theater. Learn more at www.PerformanceSantaFe.org. Performance Santa Fe is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
###