A multimedia Cornell University Library exhibition demonstrates how music can be a powerful vehicle for raising environmental awareness. Showcasing scores, videos and sound recordings, “Music of the Natural World: Cornell Composers on Nature, Ecology, and Climate” opens Feb. 20 at the Sidney Cox Library of Music and Dance.

“We invite visitors to experience the natural world – and its fragility – through works by Cornell composers, including current students, alumni and faculty,” said music librarian Lenora Schneller, who curated the exhibition. “Some pieces celebrate the beauty and resilience of the planet, while others confront the devastating impacts of ecological loss.

“I hope the exhibit will offer a space to slow down, listen deeply, and cultivate a greater appreciation for the natural world through music,” she said. “In addition, visitors might feel a sense of connection with others who are grappling with the ecological challenges of our time and find solace in the diverse musical responses showcased throughout the exhibit.”

Featured works by Cornell alumni include “High Water Rising” by Sally Lamb McCune, DMA ’98;  “The Seas Between Us” by Eric Nathan, DMA ’12; and “Vanished Voices: A Farewell to the ‘Ō‘ō” by Takuma Itoh DMA ’12 , which is part of a collaborative work titled “Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds.” The exhibition also includes works by faculty members in the Department of Music, such as “Sinfonía No. 6” by Roberto Sierra, Old Dominion Foundation Professor of Music Emeritus; and “Silent Spring” by the late Steven Stucky, Given Foundation Professor of Music Emeritus and Pulitzer Prize winner. 

On Feb. 20 at 4:45 p.m., DMA composition student James Parker will present an interactive installation, “Grayspace,” where he will transmit different radio signals that audience members with provided radios and headphones can weave in and out of as they move through the library.

“The piece is interested in the materiality of music making, what physical resources go into making the music that is represented in the books of the library,” Parker said. “One of the aims of the piece is to increase an awareness and appreciation of these environmental sounds as they mingle with more conventionally musical ones.” 

Parker created a similarly interactive installation in Mann Library in 2024, and he said he considers libraries unique spaces for exploring music.

“The library’s role as a public space, coupled with all the intellectual resources libraries house, makes them a very sort of utopian environment, one where anyone can have access to knowledge – they just have to go look for it,” he said. “These installations are, in a way, invitations to come look, and, in this case, listen.”

“Music of the Natural World” is part of a series of exhibits titled “From the Brink: Contributions to a Sustainable Future from across Cornell,” hosted by different libraries across Cornell University Library in partnership with other departments and groups on campus.

Jose Beduya is staff writer and editor for Cornell University Library.