For the next several episodes, we’re partnering with Chorus America to bring you a sneak preview of what’s coming up at  the Chorus America Annual Conference, being held this year in our home town, San Francisco! We hope you’ll enjoy this opportunity to get to know a bit more about the conference’s speakers and their areas of expertise, and especially to get to know these folks on a personal level. 

This week on In Unison: a sneak peek of a conversation on socially conscious repertoire that focuses on environmentalism and the growing anxiety regarding climate change. Dr. Kirsten Hedegaard, founder of the EcoVoice Project and director of choral activities at Loyola University Chicago, will moderate a discussion exploring how composers are engaging with this issue in a variety of ways and how choral music provides a unique opportunity to grapple with the climate crisis.

We hope to see you in San Francisco for the Chorus America Conference, May 31 - June 2, 2023. More information is available at chorusamerica.org.  

Music excerpts 

• “Fire,” by Katerina Gimon, performed by Loyola Chamber Choir, directed by Kirsten Hedegaard
• “Earth Song,” by Frank Ticheli, performed by Loyola Chorale & Chamber Choir, and University of Illinois  (chorus members from Urbana-Champaign, Springfield, and Chicago campuses), directed by Kirsten Hedegaard 

Episode references

• Chorus America conference
• Dr. Kirsten Hedegaard
• The EcoVoice Project
• New Earth Ensemble

Theme Song: Mr. Puffy by Avi Bortnik, arr. by Paul Kim. Performed by Dynamic