Outdoor Earth Day concert connects music and the environment

On a warm Sunday afternoon, an audience gathered in the Greek Theatre to listen to music made by percussion instruments, conch shells, stone tiles and even sirens in celebration of Earth Day.

The performance's title, "Inuksuit," is an Inuit word meaning "to act in the capacity of the human," said the composition's composer, John Luther Adams, and an "inuksuit" is literally a "stone marker."

Ninety-nine performers participated, including students and faculty members from the music and theatre departments, as well as members of the Grammy Award-winning ensemble eighth blackbird, Richmond's ensemble-in-residence. There were also students and faculty from other colleges all along the East Coast.

Written in 2009 and since performed all over the world, the composition is site-specific, said junior performer Jimmy Moshos, and it showcases the environment where the performance is held. The resulting sound is dependent upon the space and number of performers, he said.

More than 100 people, mostly from the off-campus Richmond community, attended. The concert had an outdoor musical festival feel to it, as audience members sprawled out on blankets and brought lawn chairs. "I want a front row seat!" a little girl exclaimed upon arriving with her parents.

But Adams warned the audience to "not get too comfortable." About 10 minutes into the concert, the performers took their instruments and music into the surrounding woods, and the audience members were encouraged to follow.

Before the performers arrived, various instruments were arranged on the ground near the stage in the Greek Theatre. Once the concert began, the performers picked up their instruments, but stood still for about five minutes. Then, one by one, they began to play.

Some performers blew into large rolled paper cones and conch shells, making breathing sounds. Others shook maracas, which brought to mind shaking leaves. Others created wind sounds by spinning plastic tubes in the air.

The performers slowly moved throughout the theatre, causing ever-changing sounds. Then the percussionists' bass drums and cymbals could be heard, as well as the wailing sirens that some performers cranked by hand.

Junior Kate Workman said that while she had been walking throughout the woods, she had been "frustrated with the intrusion of the industrial noises" of the sirens and whistles, which is exactly what Adams intended.

The piece was written to "blend and confuse the sounds of nature and humanity," according to a press release for the concert. Adams was inspired by Henry David Thoreau, who wrote about the environmental changes that occurred during the Industrial Revolution.

Moshos said he felt that the "loud, intrusive and unavoidable" piece effectively drew attention to climate change and environmental issues that continue to be under-recognized in today's culture.

Other audience members said they were unsure of what they were hearing. "I'm a little scared," said junior Cristina Meehan. "I feel like there is a celestial body in the air."

Adams said: "Music is not what I do. It's how I understand the world. As a composer, it's my belief that music can serve as a sounding model for the evolution of human consciousness and culture, encouraging us to deepen and expand our awareness of the miraculous world we inhabit."

Contact reporter Renee Ruggeri at renee.ruggeri@richmond.edu