“The Rivers are our Brothers” is the title of an electronic song cycle about ecological responsibility told from the earth’s point of view. The songs in the cycle take a firsthand view of nature: rocks sing of their mothers and snowflakes tell of their sandy hearts. Originally scored for an electro-acoustic ensemble, in this new arrangement performer-composer Connery teams up with Felix Fan (electric cello) pushing the cycle into the realm of the supernatural. “The goal of the cycle is to give nature a voice,” Connery says. “But we are not making a cute nature documentary. The addition of Felix’s electric cello to my vocal synthesis gives the cycle a whole new and exciting energy. We are invoking the voices of nature, and they are out of this world.”

Artists:

Majel Connery

is a composer, performer, podcaster and musicologist. Her work has been called“superb” by the New York Times and“utterly Schubertian” by the Wall Street Journal. Her music has appeared on Radiolab, Kennedy Center Live and New Sounds radio. Connery is host and producer of A Music of Their Own, an interview podcast about women in the music industry (CapRadio/NPR). She frequently tours as a solo artist and with the New York-based art-rock band, Sky Creature.

Felix Fan

has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham and Janos Starker at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Musikverein and the Royal Festival Hall. Fan’s interest in contemporary music has led him to collaborate with today’s leading composers, including George Crumb, Tan Dun, Hans Werner Henze, Oliver Knussen, Kaija Saariaho, and Charles Wuorinen. He often appears as a solo artist and with the FLUX Quartet.