Ears to the Earth: Recent Episodes
Luke Helker
How does place affect the music we make? How does music affect the way we perceive our relationships with the world around us? Join me as I interview composers and examine the philosophy of place in an attempt to answer some of these thought-provoking questions.
Jenni's Website: https://jennibrandon.com
Intro Piece: Starry Night for clarinet
Ears to the Earth Concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH-GqJAbdmY&t=2s
Justin’s Website: http://www.justinralls.com/
Intro music: Tree Ride (2013)
Full Length, World Premiere performance by the San Francisco Conservatory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yruj7ncDL1M
Stephen’s Website: http://stephenwoodmusic.com/ Here you can learn more about his film scoring and “Inspiring Stewardship Initiative.”
Intro music: A Wilderness Dream (2014)
Performance by Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBgnWxA0T_A
Nell's website: https://www.nellshawcohen.com/
Landscape Music Network: https://landscapemusic.org/
Music in the episode: "Refuge" by Nell Shaw Cohen and performed by the Cadillac Moon Ensemble.
Are you a composer/performer who not only focuses a lot of their artistic visions towards nature-inspired projects, but would also be interested in participating in a network of like-minded individuals?? Here's a link to apply to be a member (more detailed information included): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScmXjYZR4UvdxrcXAXsKpFA16f1pqv5_hDFYQgr9rb6uZHIbg/viewform
Learn more about Juhi and listen to some of her music here: https://juhibansal.com/
The piece in the introduction was "Hung the Sky with Stars," a movement from her cantata We Look to the Stars.Here's her conversation with ETTE alum Ryan Suleiman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EGaU5lnqu8
Libby Meyer's Website: http://www.libbymeyermusic.com/
Featured music: For Johnny B (from Lakescape)
Keweenaw Soundscape Project: https://www.facebook.com/KeweenawSoundscape/
Ryan's Website: https://www.ryansuleiman.com/
Music played during the opener: Thought Bubbles (2018)
Ryan's Podcast, Reflections on Music and Nature: https://www.ryansuleiman.com/rmn
Ryan's essay on the California Wildfires: https://landscapemusic.org/essays/drawing-inspiration-from-nature-in-a-time-of-ecological-collapse/
This interview was conducted on November 9, 2020 via Zoom (of course).
Music featured in the episode is Denali by Stephen Lias.
For more information: visit his website at : https://www.stephenlias.com/.
This episode serves two purposes:
- It was a requirement for a class on contemporary repertoire and
- It serves as a teaser for the many interviews I've been conducting with members of the Landscape Music Composers Network.
Full length episodes will come soon, but for now here are some links for further exploration:
Landscape Music Network: https://landscapemusic.org/composers-network/
Nell Shaw Cohen: https://www.nellshawcohen.com/
Stephen Lias: https://www.stephenlias.com/
Libby Meyer: http://www.libbymeyermusic.com/
Ryan Suleiman: https://www.ryansuleiman.com/
Juhi Bansal: https://juhibansal.com/
Music featured in this episode:
Refuge – Nell Shaw Cohen
Gates of the Arctic (Excerpts) – Stephen Lias
Wild Beauty – Libby Meyer
Thought Bubbles – Ryan Suleiman
Hung the Sky with Stars (from We Look to the Stars) – Juhi Bansal
All other music by Luke Helker
This episode features my interview with the percussionist/composer Ben Justis. Here are some helpful links to learn more about his music:
Ben’s website: https://benjustis.com/about/
Here’s the link to see an interview/trailer about the piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McW_IJc3BRc&feature=emb_logo
The footage was beautifully shot and edited by the lovely folks at 2x1 Media, which you should definitely check out: https://www.2x1media.com/
Info on the national parks residency here: https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/news/media20-09.htm
This episode features my interview with Frank Nawrot.
Frank’s website: http://franknawrot.com/
Lamb of Light Album: https://franknawrot.bandcamp.com/album/lamb-of-light
This podcast discusses the life and ecoacoustic works of Matthew Burtner.
Pieces mentioned in this episode:
Sound Cast of Matanuska Glacier - Matthew Burtner
Le Legende d’Eer - Iannis Xenakis
Riverrun - Barry Truax
Portals of Distortion - Matthew Burtner
Siku Unipkaak - Matthew Burtner
Muir Glacier, 1889 - 2009 - Matthew Burtner
Threnody (Sikigvik) - Matthew Burtner
Additional music crafted by yours truly.
Field recorded sounds taken from myself, Thomas Rex Beverly and freesounds.org.
Matthew’s Website: http://matthewburtner.com/
Further Reading:
Information on Winter Raven: http://matthewburtner.com/winter-raven-ukiuq-tulugaq/
Information on Iceprints: http://matthewburtner.com/iceprints/
Information on Auksulaq: http://matthewburtner.com/auksalaq/
Further Listening:
Glacier Music (2019): https://www.ravellorecords.com/catalog/rr8001/
Further Viewing:
Indie Alaska Feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57phLAijQ2s
New Music Box Feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef8N_1j-L74&t=166s
This podcast discusses the life and works of John Luther Adams.
Pieces mentioned in this episode:
The Wind in High Places: John Luther Adams
The Farthest Place: John Luther Adams
Rothko Chapel: Morton Feldman
songbirdsongs: John Luther Adams
Night Peace: John Luther Adams
Earth and the Great Weather: John Luther Adams
Dream in White on White: John Luther Adams
In the White Silence: John Luther Adams
The Immeasurable Space of Tones: John Luther Adams
The Place Where You Go to Listen: John Luther Adams
Become Ocean: John Luther Adams
Become Desert: John Luther Adams
Additional music crafted by yours truly.
At this time, there is no official recording for Become River*, however, Adams has indicated an anticipated released date sometime around Fall 2020.
Further Listening:
Meet the Composer Episode: https://www.wnyc.org/story/john-luther-adams-bad-decisions-and-finding-home/
Further Reading:
http://johnlutheradams.net/category/writings/
*Adams will be releasing another book, called Silences so Deep, in September. You can pre-order the memoir here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374264628
Further Viewing:
More information on Minimalist Art (Applies to music, though composers aren’t mentioned in this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEi0Ib-nNGo
Lecture presented by JLA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWG0zpPOGcQ
I mentioned Jackson Pollock and Kazimir Malevich several times, so I thought I’d a link for each of them in case you’re not as familiar with their art.
JP: https://www.moma.org/artists/4675
KM: https://www.kazimir-malevich.org/
This episode dives deeper into the differences between field recordings, signification, and site-specific compositions.
Bernie Krause Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTbA-mxo858&t=335s
Andrea Polli: https://sites.google.com/andreapolli.com/main/andrea-polli?authuser=0
Heat and Heartbeat in the City: http://archive.turbulence.org/project/heat-and-the-heartbeat-of-the-city/
Kits Beach Soundwalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg96nU6ltLk
Wild Energy: https://www.caramoor.org/music/sonic-innovations/wild-energy/
This episode is a summation of the first chapter of my thesis, in which I provide a historical context towards the treatment of nature in music. I've pared it down quite considerably in an attempt to make it a little more enjoyable and not get too deep in the weeds. The transcript of this episode can be found on my website as well as the full thesis itself.
A brief description as to why I created this podcast and what you can expect to hear in future episodes. Text for this episode can be found on my website at http://www.lukehelker.com/blog-1.