Concert Program

As we set the stage for the purpose of this concert, we welcome you to share in the personal and scientific stories of AAAS STPF Fellows as they relate to drought and flood.

The Festival of Peace and Biodiversity took place in the town of Manaure (Cesar) between the 18th and the 29th of April 2022. Youngsters from various nearby places participated in their workshop, including kids and young leaders who live in an ex-guerrilla community. The workshops included photography, muralism, performance, podcast production and botanical illustration which nurtured this final multimedia event. This song is a cheerful narration of the gloomy prospect of rain not materializing and allowing the children who participated in the workshops of the festival to gather plants and learn from nature in their field trips under the sun.

Set to live performance of the “Four Seasons” by Vivaldi, Spring is a excerpt from Company E's Kennedy Center commissioned concert, “To Sail Around the Sun.” The piece shares that all four seasons are happening somewhere in the world on a single day. Based on the motions of fish, kelp forests, tidal currents, and of the “eddy and flow” of life below the waves, this playful selection engages audiences of all ages, particularly youth, in an understanding of climate change and of our impact on the planet.

As part of his Water Album, Nostalgia begins with the line, "From the orb of the water womb...", which aims to speak to the connection between us and our ancestors. "A connection that is a sort of spirit knowing; something that we can feel, even when we aren't cognizant of it... and even when the connection has been peppered with traumas. Despite that reality, it can also be a beautiful sense of connection that can provide us the sort of purpose we need to continue on in our lives as Black people."

The music for this piece, excerpts from Après moi, le deluge by Luna Pearl Woolf, was written in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The accompanying choreography focuses on the weight and fluidity of water.

Emma G wrote and recorded this powerful song specifically for this concert. Her prior involvement in writing music to inspire environmental awareness positioned her to craft this impactful commissioned piece that seeks to leverage the tools of hope and unity amidst the complexities of drought.

AAAS STPF Fellow, Reshmina William, closes out our concert with a lyrical piece that reflects the push and pull of water on our hopes, fears, and dreams. While rising waters threaten our homes and livelihoods, communities band together to face these challenges through the creation of green space, improved resilience, and a pivot to renewable energy. Will it be enough?

We hope you will return back to this concert as you feel inspired to learn more and tackle these issues in creative ways. Through Unity, we can find a way.