Etienne Charles will present his multimedia performance “Earth Tones” focusing on climate change in Ann Arbor on January 17 and 18. This performance combines jazz music with visuals from areas impacted by climate change, aiming to evoke emotional responses from the audience and raise awareness of environmental issues. Charles’s approach integrates his musical heritage and seeks to engage viewers deeply with the thematic content.
In a groundbreaking multimedia jazz performance exploring the theme of climate change, renowned trumpeter and composer Etienne Charles aims to address the often elusive and abstract nature of the subject. “The combination of the music, the stories, and the visuals is to really make people feel — and not to understand — what climate change really is,” Charles articulates, highlighting his mission to evoke a visceral emotional response from his audience.
Scheduled for January 17 and 18 at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre in Ann Arbor, Charles will present his work “Earth Tones” alongside seven other musicians, under the auspices of the University Musical Society (UMS). This innovative performance merges live music with striking photography and documentary footage that illustrates the devastating impacts of climate change in locations ranging from the Maldives to the Louisiana bayou.
Charles, a Trinidad native now residing in Miami, expresses his personal connection to the issue: “I see it every day.” He describes “Earth Tones” as a series of scenarios designed to immerse the audience fully into the realities, causes, and potential solutions surrounding climate change. Given that attention spans have declined in recent years, he believes this multimedia approach is crucial. As he notes, “People won’t look at something for more than a few seconds before they are interested in something changing.”
Moreover, Charles finds that such performances enhance audience engagement, as they are drawn between watching the musicians and the visual narratives on screen. “It brings them more into the music,” he explains, paralleling this experience to the ubiquitous nature of media consumption today. Growing up in Trinidad, he views music as intrinsically tied to broader cultural experiences, accentuated by celebrations and significant events.
Addressing the challenges of composing for a complex topic like climate change, Charles remarks that while narratives typically aid the composition process, for “Earth Tones,” he felt the music “kind of writes itself.” He emphasizes the instrumental choices, stating that all instruments, apart from a turntable, are crafted from natural materials. This serves to reflect the environmental themes at play, allowing audiences to hear the distinct sounds that originate from the earth itself. Ultimately, he hopes “Earth Tones” will convey both the positive and negative dimensions of climate change, as well as the uncertainties that lie ahead based on our current actions.
Etienne Charles is an esteemed jazz trumpeter and composer known for blending music with social themes. His latest work, “Earth Tones,” seeks to address climate change through an immersive multimedia experience. By combining live performance with impactful visuals, Charles endeavors to create a strong emotional awareness surrounding this critical global issue. His artistic approach is rooted in a desire to maintain audience engagement and evoke a deeper understanding of environmental challenges, leveraging his cultural background to inform his creative process.
In summary, Etienne Charles’s multimedia jazz performance, “Earth Tones,” is a profound artistic endeavor designed to evoke emotional and sensory responses to the urgent issue of climate change. By integrating live music with striking visuals, Charles seeks to engage audiences in a meaningful way, emphasizing the real-life consequences of climate change and underscoring the intrinsic connection between music and cultural narratives. The performance not only exemplifies artistic innovation but also invites reflection on individual and collective responsibility toward our planet’s future.
Original Source: www.secondwavemedia.com
