Listening at the Ends of the Earth - Lecture and Performance by Cheryl E. Leonard

From her backyard to the polar regions, Cheryl E. Leonard has journeyed near and far to gather musical materials from wild spaces. Combining sounds produced on amplified natural objects with carefully-edited field recordings of wildlife and natural soundscapes, her compositions explore unique timbres and textures, address environmental issues, and are often inspired by scientific research. Leonard will discuss working with sound in Antarctica and the Arctic, as well as locally in parks close to her home in California. She’ll explain her compositional process, and describe field recording successes and defeats, instrument-building eureka moments, how to play music on penguin bones, and strategies for notating sounds from limpet shells and fizzy icebergs. Leonard’s performance will include selections from her latest album, Antarctica: Music from the Ice, together with pieces developed from fieldwork in Svalbard, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Co-sponsored by the MA in Sound Arts and Industries program, Department of Music Studies, the MFA in Documentary Media program, and the Kaplan something



Cheryl E. Leonard is a San Francisco-based composer, performer, field recordist, and instrument builder whose works investigate natural sites and ecosystems, and human relationships to them. She uses microphones and amplification to explore subtle intricacies of sounds, and develops compositions that highlight unique voices and soundscapes while addressing environmental issues such as climate change and extinction of species. Leonard’s works have been presented in concerts and art exhibitions in the Americas, Europe, Japan, and Australasia. Her recordings are available on Other Minds, mappa, SubPop, Gilgongo, and numerous other labels.
www.allwaysnorth.com


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