Creating the Climate Hope Concert, April 22, 2023
As a composer, I believe that music is at its most powerful when it is active in the world - reaching out to engage people in as many ways as we can. As teachers, performers and creators we are all constantly looking for new connections to make a difference. I’m excited to share this new project which will hopefully be the beginning of a yearly celebration of climate action through the art of music.
This April, Multiverse Concert Series - the project I direct - is hosting Climate Hope Concert. This new event will interweave music and science to tell immersive stories of regeneration: projects working to heal not just our atmosphere, but our biosphere and society as a whole. Over the course of the show, musicians and scientists connect diverse threads together, exploring topics from sustainable polymers, coral reef restoration, urban regeneration projects and the regeneration of space, as a unifying source of wonder for our precious island earth.
It's hard to be a human in our society and not be deeply concerned about climate change. As we learn of the devastation to our planet caused by our consumptive society, it is easy to become fearful and overwhelmed - a state of hopelessness that inevitably leads to inaction. The hope we seek comes from communities of scientists and activists working to heal not just our atmosphere - but our soils, education and manufacturing systems, politics, and philosophies. These efforts are myriad, and discreet, and yet in combination they are inexorable. Each project - from coral restoration to recycled rubber, heritage tree preservation to the regeneration of space - presents a ray of hope that amplifies our societal voice for regeneration.
Our goal is to share and amplify these voices of hope in a new annual Climate Hope Concert - infusing research with the emotional, unifying power of music to build community and call us to action.
Cellist Mike Block of the Silk Road Ensemble will premiere new electrosymphonic works by composer David Ibbett, together with arias from the "In Stile Moderno'' duo. Projections by multimedia artist Nora Wang.
Speakers
Sarah Davies — assistant professor of biology, Boston University
Peter Galison — professor of the history of science, Harvard University and director, Black Hole Initiative
Steven Nutter — executive director, Green Cambridge
Patricia Spence — Director of the Urban Farming Institute
The MONET Project of MIT, Duke, Johns Hopkins and other leading universities
Join us this Earth Day, 2pm April 22nd at the WBUR Cityspace
David Ibbett, MMTA Treasurer