I’m going to Alaska! I have been awarded a fellowship at Chulitna Lodge, a historic Alaskan landmark in the center of Lake Clark National Parks and Preserve, one of the largest parks in the U.S. Chulitna Lodge is 180 miles southwest of Anchorage and is an off-grid living community. The property primarily runs on solar power.
My fellowship begins in May and is completely self-directed. I applied with a new idea that focuses on old-growth forests. I will spend my time developing a project that tells the tales of trees. I’ll also take videos and compose music inspired by my stay.
The fellowship covers my lodging and food expenses. I have to pay for a portion of my travel, cover my home expenses, and variation in income. I’ll come up with creative ways to help fund this incredible opportunity and keep you posted. You can always buy music through Bandcamp or pledge on Patreon.
Thanks so much to the Chulitna Lodge Research Institute for providing the time, space, and facilities for creatives to make and meditate. Some text and photo are from Chulitna Lodge’s website.
Rocky River Flows into Erie is a meditation piece that samples sounds from the Lake Erie region. For this project, I recorded environmental acoustics at five different locations. Wave sounds were sampled from Magee Marsh and Edgewater Beach. Bird, bug, and frog songs were recorded from Old Woman Creek, Rocky River Reservation, and Columbia Station Reservation.
The vocals were composed and recorded at the Foundation House residency in Greenwich, CT.
You can buy this on Bandcamp and hear on all streaming sites.
Nature is My Lover is my love song for the planet. It celebrates inter-connectivity and shares ways nature is nurturing. All the vocals are my own and I sampled nature sounds to make the percussion.
Feel the breeze blow on my skin gentle sweet kisses from the wind hear the bird song melodies of the air chorus of the forest show they care
Nature is my lover we look after each other
Feasts of plenty tasty terrain they flirt through the dirt with gifts of sweet sugarcane sunbeams gleam their love for me moonlight makes my heart shine bright
Nature is my lover we look after each other
How awesome the blossoms’ bloom presents of fine perfume
Nature is My Lover was written and recorded in this gorgeous retrofitted stable at the Foundation House artist residency.
PROCESS
The background melody came first. There are Lake Erie sounds, Connecticut swamp sparrows, and babbling springs from France.
This song was almost lyricless. I sat in the spacious yard, cross-legged in the grass, and reflected on what lyrics would serve the sound. In this pause, I connected my breath with the breeze, felt the wind on my skin, and the sun’s warmth on my face. I was aware of the ways nature brings me joy. I noticed the gifts I receive every day. What a generous and caring experience. Nature is my lover.
Thanks for listening. Warm regards, Christa
I’m sharing a video of a live performance of Nature is My Lover on Patreon.
Forever grateful for the opportunity to be an artist in residence with the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation. I spent the past month creating in an old school retrofitted into artist spaces. The residency was life-changing and allowed me the space and time to focus.
I had a productive month in Maine recording and editing 2 new albums. One album is 10 experimental, lyricless, a cappella pieces composed at a past residency in France at Chateau Orquevaux. There are vivid videos to accompany each song. The other album is a collection of songs written since 2020. I’m really proud of how they turned out.
After residency in France, I traveled to Switzerland to play a show at Café Kairo and visit my friend Beat-Man. I had an awesome time playing at Beat-Man’s record shop, Voodoo Rhythm Hardware Store which is located in the Old City of Bern, Switzerland.
Down the road from the Hardware Store, I was delighted to discover the Zytglogge, a 15th-century astronomical clock that displays the moon phases and ring of the zodiac. I spent my birthday in Bern so it seemed magical to be in the same space.
Also in the Old City is Bern Minster Cathedral, (German: Berner Münster), a Swiss Reformed cathedral built in the Gothic style. Construction started in 1421. Its tower was was completed in 1893, stands at 330 feet, and is the largest standing structure in the City. The space and sound was breathtaking.
On these recordings I saw myself cycle through fear and hesitation. There are a few times before I start singing where I audibly tell myself I cannot do it.
The cathedral in Bern, Switzerland. I almost didn’t go through with singing. There were a few dozen people within the space and the acoustics were cavernous. I struggled with my camera and moved 3 times before I had the guts to sing. Five notes into singing, a hush came over the crowd. A few minutes in, a group of kids sat in the pews to listen. I thought my camera was recording but it was not. The video for this song are the few photos I have. My favorite is the photo of the kids that sat around me. Their smiles and attention was moving. I am so happy I captured that moment. Towards the end of the video you’ll see a lady wearing purple. She asks me to stop singing at the end. I apologized and left. My sins were forgiven.
Thank you for watching. This is the final video from this series. Listen to the recordings on Bandcamp and wherever you prefer to stream.
Here are two more videos from the series in the Church of Saint-Germain de Charonne.
In Paris, a few blocks from where I was staying is the Church of Saint-Germain de Charonne. I entered an empty place and started singing. A priest or parishioner arrived and was setting up for a mass. I asked if it was okay to sing. He said something in French but I am naive to the language. Through tone and body language it seemed ok and friendly. I am not sure if I had permission but it seemed like I did. I hope that I conveyed gratitude to him. Singing in the church brought me much joy.
There is one more cathedral performance to share. Stay tuned. Listen to the recordings on Bandcamp and wherever you prefer to stream. Thanks for watching.
