NEC Contemporary Musical Arts Department: What Does Earth Need? A Call to Action

The Contemporary Musical Arts Department presents a concert, directed by Linda Chase and Hankus Netsky, that explores the relationship of musical artists to the current state of the world, specifically in regard to climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental justice. Themes of the concert include our relationships with all living beings other than humans, our relationships with communities impacted by climate disaster, and musicians as forces for change in the community.

Repertoire includes Nowruz, a piece referencing the traditional Iranian springtime New Year’s celebration of the rebirth of the world; “Soufle-Van,” a Haitian folk song about the relationship of people to the earth and nature; “Al Kheyt: A Yiddish Confessional”; “Breaths” by Sweet Honey in the Rock; “What Does Earth Need” from Linda Chase’s oratorio Laudato Si — For Our Common Home, an updated version of Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy, Mercy Me;” and a variety of other music that calls on humanity to create a more just and sustainable world. The concert also features performances by the CMA Department’s Contemporary Vocal Ensemble directed by Farayi Malek and the newly formed local chapter of the Resistance Revival Chorus directed by Morgan Brookman.

LInda Chase is a composer and improvising flutist who teaches interdisciplinary arts, composition, improvisation and the transformational power of music from traditions around the world. She received her Ph.D in Sustainablity Through Music from Prescott College in 2017. Laudato Si — For Our Common Home, her second oratorio on the climate crisis, will be performed this spring by the Harvard-Radcliffe Choral Society.