One Year Later
It is a full year since I began writing this monthly series on artists who are focusing on the topic
Music
Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind – Hearing the Voices of the Future
When I was little and heard the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, I imagined hearing ghosts—muted wailing from hidden
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Music of Changes
I write and perform music that features the recorded voices of people speaking about their responses to climate change. When
2-Minute Shower Songs
Music reflects the cultural mood of a society and, at the same time, is a powerful medium for promoting change
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
The 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
When I first sat down to write this post, I intended to describe the background story of how three musicians
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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