
2014 / Electro-Chamber
DURATION
10 minutes, 15 secondsINSTRUMENTATION
clarinet, cello, piano, fixed electronicsCOMMISSIONED BY
Westwood Concerts
- If Not Us, Then Who? Michael Westwood (clarinet), Erika Nielsen (cello), Gregory Millar (piano) 10:27
Programme Notes
Some things haunt your mind. For me, one of those things was hearing the pain and desperation in Yeb Sano‘s voice. In 2012, he was attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference on behalf of the Philippines when a devastating typhoon hit his country, killing over a thousand people and leaving thousands more homeless.
This tragedy spurred him to deliver one of the most inspirational and heartfelt addresses to his fellow UN delegates, urging them to stop debating what could be done to reduce carbon emissions and start taking action, as the Philippines was already facing the firsthand effects of man-made climate change. His speech made headlines, but unfortunately, a year later, another typhoon struck his country, this time killing over 6,000 and leaving 2 million homeless—yet still, no progress was made at the UN talks.
This composition is dedicated to those brave individuals who speak out for policy changes that would curb carbon emissions and lessen the impact and frequency of climate change tragedies.
The piece combines chamber instruments with audio from Yeb Sano’s speech given at the 2012 United Nations Climate Change Talks in Doha (November 26 to December 6, 2012), as well as the defiant shouts of activists protesting outside the talks. You can find some inspirational video footage from the conference on YouTube.
– Frank Horvat

RECORDING
The Current Agenda
Gregory Millar (piano), Erika Nielsen (cello), Michael Westwood (clarinet)
Producer: Frank Horvat, Jean Martin
Label: I Am Who I Am Records
PERFORMANCES
World Premiere
March 8, 2014
Michael Westwood (clarinet)
Erika Nielsen (cello)
Gregory Millar (piano)
Heliconian Hall
Toronto, Canada
July 12, 2014
Michael Westwood (clarinet)
Erika Nielsen (cello)
Gregory Millar (piano)
Musideum
Toronto, Canada