I am happy to announce a new project and collaboration with my friend, Sharlene Wallace. We’re going to co-compose a suite of pieces for solo lever harp and fixed electronics.
Called Trees.Listen, the music is inspired by the enlightening book, To Speak for the Trees, by acclaimed medical biochemist and botanist, Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger. Diana has a unique combination of western scientific knowledge and traditional knowledge from the ancient world. Orphaned in Ireland in her youth, she was educated by elders who instructed her in the Brehon knowledge of plants and nature.
The music that Sharlene and I will compose will be based on different letters from the ancient Ogham script, a medieval alphabet that named each letter for a type of tree (this is how important trees were to the ancient Celts). The predominant musical note heard in each piece will be the note named after a particular tree. For example, the Celtic word for “Pine” is “Ailm” therefore our piece for the pine will predominantly feature the note ‘A’. This will create an extra spiritual connection between each piece, the tree and its designated letter. The overall tone of each piece will also be inspired by the information and stories shared by Diana about each tree, each having its own unique musical character, just as each tree does.
Sharlene and I hope that Trees.Listen supports Diana’s vision that trees are a fundamental part of our existence and survival on this planet and that they are something to be worshipped and protected.
We have been fortunate to receive Diana’s enthusiastic support for our endeavour. She is a passionate individual who envisions a better world, with more trees…
We’re looking forward to partnering with Diana as we produce an album and present live performances in the future.
Thanks to the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council, we have the funds needed to work on the first 2 of 9 pieces in the suite. Our creative process begins very soon so stay tuned to my social media channels, my blog posts and my e-newsletter for updates on our progress with this important project.
