With ‘The [Uncertain] Four Seasons,’ classical musicians and St. Kate student poets tackle climate change - Twin Cities Pioneer Press

“To respond to climate change and call for action, St. Catherine University students will present original poetry later this month onstage at The O’Shaughnessy, alongside new music that uses climate data to reinterpret classical concertos. “The [Uncertain] Four Seasons” is a re-composition of Antonio Vivaldi’s famous four-part piece, put through an algorithm that changes the music based on geospatial predictions for the year 2050, drawn from a report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Rising surface temperatures alter the tempo; ocean temps alter the pitch; sea level data changes the mode, or base scale; species decline increases the length of silent rests.

At St. Kate’s, the algorithmic version and Vivaldi’s original will be juxtaposed against each other in a new arrangement by Emily Isaacson of the organization Classical Uprising and Jesse Irons, a Grammy-nominated violinist. The performance will also feature the Minnesota Opera Orchestra…

Isaacson’s goal of turning classical music into emotional, expressive action is the foundation behind Classical Uprising, her Maine-based nonprofit. ‘I have always felt that classical music really speaks to my soul in a way that words can’t,’ Isaacson said.”

Photo: Naomi Stewart, Sofia Vanderlan, Jesse Irons and conductor Emily Isaacson (Rebecca Slater)