A Clarion Call

four songs for baritone and mixed chamber ensemble
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Length: ca. 12'

Instrumentation: Flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, baritone voice, violin, cello, double bass. Conductor recommended.

​Availability: PDFs available for purchase.
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Program Note
A Clarion Call (2016) was commissioned by the Eric Stokes Fund. Established in honor of composer Eric Stokes, the fund supports the creation of new music about nature and the environment. I wanted to compose a song cycle that addresses the current, devastating effects of climate change, and I chose to focus on the Marshall Islands. Located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, this vulnerable nation is already facing the catastrophic impact of rising sea levels.

Selina Laukon, a young Marshallese resident, gave a powerful speech at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. Her words make up the text of the first song, “Surrounded.” Struck by the very personal and effective nature of her speech, I knew I wanted to include her perspective. In the third song, “If the water comes,” former Marshallese president Christopher Loeak addresses the distressing suggestion that the Marshallese people evacuate their islands and settle in foreign nations.

The second and fourth movements use texts created by influential climate change skeptics. “I am a serious professional” draws from an open letter written in 2014 by John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel. The fourth movement, “Frost & Ice,” uses excerpts from a 2014 statement made by Patrick Moore before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Coleman and Moore claim that humans are not the cause of climate change, totally disregarding the devastation currently affecting populations around the world. When placed alongside appeals from real individuals facing the ramifications of climate change, the lack of humanity in these two texts becomes particularly striking.

​I’d like to thank Selina Laukon for graciously allowing me to set her words. I’m also immensely grateful for the support of the Eric Stokes Fund. This project forced me to ask important questions and consider other perspectives, and I hope the music has a similar effect on its listeners.

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Premiere
Premiered in 2017 at Yale University.

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​Recording