The Ocean's Cry: A collaborative visual album

The Consonance Collective, comprised of Zach Gulaboff Davis, Daniel Despins, Bobby Ge, Gu Wei, and Seo Yoon Kim, is a Baltimore-based group of composers dedicated to connecting with audiences through interactive concerts and multimedia collaborations.

 

 

Consonance is working with percussionist Ben Giroux, saxophonist Robert Brown, and pianist Sherry Du,  as well as the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), to compose and produce ‘The Ocean’s Cry,’ a set of five original 6-10 minute music videos meditating on subjects in biodiversity and conservation. These pieces will be recorded by this trio of performers on April 1st. Shortly afterwards, the videos will be promoted and distributed online on our partnering organizations’ social media platforms (Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook), followed by an audio album release on Spotify and other free streaming platforms. Ben, Robert, Sherry, and Consonance are slated to present the album in concert during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in late June.

 

Set amidst an increasingly urgent environmental crisis, The Ocean’s Cry was conceived as an interdisciplinary means of introducing people, particularly young audiences, to subjects in ocean conservation. The Ocean’s Cry will examine five issues confronting our seas today: 1) harmful algal blooms, 2) the loss of coral reefs, 3) marine biodiversity, 4) shark conservation, and 5) rising ocean temperatures. To maintain scientific accuracy, IMET and SERC will connect composers with respective scientists who will curate photos, videos, and visualizations from affiliated labs for our use.

 

Your donation will help Consonance in compensating our cinematographers, obtain professional recording, mixing, and mastering, and pay for music distribution fees as we prepare to release the album. This is an exciting new venture that we are taking as we prepare to step into 2022, and your support would greatly help us out!

 

 

 

Cover photo credit: 83061758 © creativecommonsstockphotos | Dreamstime.com