"Antarctica: Hidden Musical Worlds" is a project by composer and educator, Cheryl Leonard who will travel to Palmer Station in Antarctica in search of natural materials and sounds to develop a series of musical compositions based on the forces that shape environments and ecosystems on the Antarctic Peninsula. Musical themes will focus on topics of current scientific investigation in the region and highlight connections between the Antarctic Peninsula and global climate change. The project will result in a number of works, developed in partnership with the Antarctic scientific community, each with unique subject matter and instrumentation with sounds coming exclusively from natural sources; playing amplified materials such as ice, rock, water, moss, feathers, shells, and bones as musical instruments. Through sound, this project will enable audiences to experience little-known, yet important aspects of the peninsula region and the scientific research taking place there.
The project is unique and innovative in the approach to create entire compositions based on sounds generated from objects found in nature. This genre has only been touched upon briefly in the program, years ago. Based on the artists past successes with concerts performed around the country and abroad and the venues lined-up for future performances, this project will reach a new audience of listeners, both young and old that have not previously been exposed to the sounds of Antarctica. "Antarctica: Hidden Musical Worlds" serves to inspire further learning about the Antarctic continent and ecosystem.
