Listening to the Trees

Categories: Music

After much anticipation, harpist Sharlene Wallace and I have finally unveiled our creative collaboration, Trees.Listen, to the world! And what a remarkable way to do it. This past weekend at the Arboretum in Guelph was extraordinary, featuring Sharlene’s world premiere performance of the entire suite for a large, receptive audience. The event also included immersive sound installations scattered throughout the pristine grounds, with speakers nestled among the trees, creating an enchanting atmosphere. To top it off, Sharlene and I had the pleasure of leading a talk and walk with a wonderful group of attendees.

Our time in Guelph would not have been possible without the dedicated staff at the Arboretum and Dennis Patterson who oversaw all our audio needs for both the performance and the installations. Thank you to everyone who attended these events. Your feedback on the new music truly touched my heart!

Sharlene and I couldn’t have imagined a more captivating way to launch Trees.Listen! But this is just the beginning. There’s much more to come, including the album release and an exciting ongoing collaboration with the Guelph Arboretum. I’ll be sharing more details on these two initiatives in the coming days, so stay tuned to my social media channels, blog posts, and e-newsletter for updates!

Our suite for lever harp and fixed electronics is inspired by the enlightening book To Speak for the Trees by acclaimed medical biochemist and botanist, Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger. Diana possesses a unique combination of Western scientific knowledge and traditional wisdom from the ancient world. Orphaned in Ireland during her youth, she was educated by elders who instructed her in the Brehon knowledge of plants and nature.  

The music that Sharlene and I co-composed is based on different letters from the ancient Ogham script, a medieval alphabet that named each letter after a type of tree, emphasizing the significance of trees to the ancient Celts. The predominant musical note heard in each piece corresponds to the note named after a particular tree. For example, you will hear a lot of Ds in Oak because the Celtic word for oak is dair, which is the name for D in their alphabet. This approach creates an additional spiritual connection between each piece, the tree, and its designated letter. The overall tone of each piece is also 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 implemented a unique multi-phase process to create this new music with the help of our good friend, Jean Martin:

In Phase 1, Jean recorded Sharlene playing samples/loops on her harp for the first 2 pieces we composed, Birch and Hazel…

Months later, we recorded the loops for Oak and Pine, this time with Sharlene’s beautiful new custom-made harp…

Then months after that, we completed recording the loops for the remaining 5 trees…

In Phase 2, I used these samples as the foundation for composing electronic bed-tracks. Then in Phase 3, Sharlene composed a live harp part on top of those bed-tracks.

In Phase 4, we convened to fine-tune the compositions and record demos…

Last summer, Sharlene did a warm-up performance of Birch and Hazel in BC…

All this led to the 5th and final step in our creative process…making the Trees.Listen album, including three great days of recording with Darren McGill at the Union Sound Company and a lot of editing and mixing with our co-producer, Jean.

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 they deserve to be worshipped and protected. We are fortunate to have received Diana’s enthusiastic support for our endeavour. She is a passionate individual who envisions a better world with more trees!

Sharlene and I are very grateful to our funders: Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and a group of Sharlene’s students who commissioned one of the nine pieces.