THE WILDERNESS ANTHOLOGY
FOR STRING QUARTET AND PRERECORDED AUDIO SOUNDSCAPES
PREMIERED: SPRING April 3rd, 2016: Penny Stamps Auditorium, Ann Arbor, MI
Upcoming studio recording: WINTER 2020
ABSTRACT: My dissertation is comprised of both an evening length musical composition and research studying sound as a potential indicator of the condition of an ecosystem. It samples two areas, the remote Book Cliffs region in the United States and parts of the Amazon rainforest. The Book Cliffs is subject to imminent oil exploration and drilling pending an environmental impact report to which this dissertation can contribute, and the Amazon is under continual pressure to extract natural resources. Extensive field recordings from these areas are incorporated into the composition, which draws parallels between the concert hall and the natural world. Through art I will convey complex theories in soundscape ecology to a broad audience, and through the data gathered argue for the continued preservation of these sonic landscapes and the increasing importance of sound as an indicator of the condition of an ecosystem.
LISTEN FOR: Biophony: sounds of all living organisms (non-human)
Geophony: sound of the environment (wind, rain, waterfalls)
Anthrophony: manmade noise