Christ Church Cathedral and the Emily Carr String Quartet are thrilled to announce Earth Songs: Music for Climate Justice, their third concert partnership since 2020. This six-concert series will feature one of Canada’s top quartets and the cathedral’s Wolff organ played by a lineup of international artists. The February through June 2022 concerts will draw attention to the need for personal action to reverse the climate crisis and will include talks from local advocates, experts, and workers in matters of climate justice. Each concert will focus on a different facet of our relationship with the natural world, aiming to educate, entertain, and inspire change.
The second half of the series will feature Christ Church Cathedral’s magnificent pipe organ in three concerts featuring the cathedral’s Assistant Director of Music, Mark McDonald, playing Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” Simon Johnson (Westminster Cathedral, UK) playing Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolff,” and a collaboration between organist Jenny Vincent and CBC science journalist Bob McDonald entitled “Earth, Wind, Fire, and Life.” Built in 2005 by Helmuth Wolff, and consisting of 4 keyboards, a pedalboard and 4,000 individual pipes, the Cathedra’s Wolff organ is the west coast’s finest.
Performer: Simon Johnson (Westminster Cathedral, UK) Having recently taken up the post of Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral in London, Simon Johnson directs one of the greatest choirs on the planet. In his first west coast appearance, he plays his own transcription of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolff”.
Johnson is joined by internationally renowned children's author Kit Pearson, who will narrate the piece. Introducing the concert is guest speaker and Earth Songs artist-in-residence, Rande Cook, who will speak about artists, scientists, and land conservationists joining forces to protect old growth and and how important trees are to our traditional lands. Mr. Cook has created a special art piece for the concert series that will be on display in the cathedral from May 27 through to the end of the series.
Tickets available HERE
NB: Student Tickets $10 at the door and Children under 13 are free!
This series is made possible in part thanks to the support of the Gail O’Riordan Climate and Arts Legacy Fund at the Victoria Foundation www.climateandthearts.org