Music of Changes
I write and perform music that features the recorded voices of people speaking about their responses to climate change. When
Music
Imagining Water, #7: 2-Minute Shower Songs
The seventh in a year-long series on artists who are making the topic of water a focus of their work
Kill Climate Deniers: What Happens When You Threaten Murder in the Title of Your Play?
In 2014, I wrote a play called Kill Climate Deniers. It’s the story of a group of eco-terrorists who take over
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The Evolution of an Eco-Musician
When I tell people I’m an eco-musician, they give one of two responses: knowing appreciation or a puzzled furrow proceeding
Top 10 Best Art/Sustainability Initiatives in Berlin
Berlin is known as a city par excellence for artists, creatives and grassroots movements and it is exactly these people
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Wind Turbines as Artistic Canvas
This month, our Renewable Energy Artworks series continues with a focus on a German wind turbine manufacturer that supports local
Keyboard Conversations Across the World
ClimateKeys, like climate change, has spread and become a world event. This can only be seen as a reflection of
Requiem for a River: Operatic Reflections on the Euphrates
I am writing this article the day before the Dutch elections. Far-right populist Geert Wilders has been leading the polls, and Turkish-Dutch youngsters are marching the streets waving dramatically large Turkish flags. For the first time in my life, I see military police trucks (and water-tanks) drive past my window. CNN and Al Jazeera discuss the “situation” in the Netherlands. Unimaginable things are happening to my country. I create operas as a platform for dialogue in a multicultural society. My artistic work stems from research on music dramas from around the globe. I was fortunate to be able to do research on a wide range of music-drama practices, for example Tibetan Opera at the Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts; passion play Ta’ziyeh in Iran; and the ancient Maya dance-drama Rabìnal Achi in Guatemala. Ironically, I found the richest traditions in places where cultural identity is under pressure, especially after a history of violence. For example, one of the first official actions the Dalai Lama took when
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Firerock: Pass the Spark
HAND TO VINE PAW TO WING IN KINSHIP WE STAND WITH ALL LIVING THINGS PASS THE SPARK FROM HEART TO
Embracing the Vulnerability of Others
Marte Røyeng is a singer/songwriter based in Oslo, Norway. I met her on a trip to Norway a few years ago where, at the time, she had just finished creating a musical with at-risk youth that dealt with aspects climate change. I have been following her work from a distance since then, always delighted to listen to her haunting and richly textured songs. A gifted musician who plays mandolin, piano, guitar and banjo, Marte has performed in concert venues, cafés and smaller festivals in Oslo and as far north as Lofoten. Here, she tells us what drives her, why urgency must be accompanied with compassion, and why embracing the vulnerability of others is a source of hope. What inspires you? I often find inspiration in descriptions of a life that is different and more extreme than mine. When I feel like a stranger to what I am listening to, reading, or seeing, I feel the need to respond, and that response is usually a piece of music,
