Doug Carroll performs at the MGMA! “Song of the Eternal Dawn—Music for Cello and Animal Sounds”

  Join us at the Morris Graves Museum of Art on Saturday, June 18^th, at 2:00 p.m. for an afternoon of music and nature, with local Cellist, Doug Carrol as he performs “Song of the Eternal Dawn—Music for Cello and Animal Sounds.” Museum-goers will experience interspecies music--original music performed on cello with accompaniment of pre-recorded birdsongs and other animal sounds.

While compiling his first CD, “Animal Sounds”, Carroll was struck by the musicality of the sounds the animals made.  His goal is to interface human music with the music of wild animals and create an interspecies collaboration. Listeners will gain an insight into the musicality of animal sounds and hopefully, a greater appreciation for wildlife.  They will also gain insight into how those sounds may be merged together by a human performer. Interspecies music has been around for many years. Beatrice Harrison, English cellist, played a concert for cello with live nightingales broadcast on BBC Radio in 1924—almost a hundred years ago.  Carroll works with the phrasing, rhythm, and mood of animal sounds he has recorded to create compositions on the cello to complement music made by the animals themselves. Recordings from the Arcata Marsh, Arcata Community Forest and Trinidad Beach will be included in this program. The second set will feature a cello and gong duet with Carroll and Joan Richards. Richards is a local gong player and Yoga instructor.

“My theory of music is aligned with the theoretical astrophysics of String Theory. According to String Theory, we live in a musical universe governed by the laws of vibrating strings. Physics is related to harmony and chemistry is related to melody. Each person is ultimately a distinctive melody. Additionally, early humans made music before they developed language. Language is arguably derived from music. Both language and music are used for communication with language primarily communicating information and music communicating emotions. Language could be thought of as the ‘informational music’.” –Doug Carroll

Don’t miss out on this lively and inspiring event! Visit the Morris Graves Museum of Art for “Song of the Eternal Dawn—Music for Cello and Animal Sounds,” with local Cellist Doug Carroll, on Saturday, June 18^th at 2:00 p.m.