2021 WINTER NEWSLETTER: My Experience with "Wake Up"
Owen Klein: Ecco Singer and Leadership Team Member
Our planet is heading for a catastrophe. Actually, the catastrophe is happening right now. Human-induced climate change is causing seasonal wildfires on the West Coast, frequent hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, wildlife extinction, air pollution, and much more. Wake up! We need drastic government action to decarbonize our economy and shift to more renewable sources of energy. Do we have what it takes to save our home from ourselves?
Enter Kerry Andrew’s “Wake Up,” a new piece commissioned by the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir in collaboration with the Stanford Chamber Chorale. The text of the piece is taken from leading youth climate activists, including Vic Barratt, Jamie Margolin, Greta Thunberg, Ridhima Pandey, and Xiye Bastida. There is also an expressive—yet challenging— body percussion part with claps, slaps, clicks, and stomps!
Although Andrew wrote her piece for a live choir, we have successfully adapted it for a virtual one. On a typical day of rehearsal, Artistic Director Eric Tuan and Associate Conductor Joel Chapman would take turns rotating between two breakout rooms: one for Sopranos and Altos, and one for Tenors and Basses. With their expert coaching, we would sing along on mute, except for the dreaded “spot checks” of random singers. The virtual choir experience was eerily isolating at first because choral music is, by its very nature, a communal activity. Since we could only hear one person at a time on Zoom, we were uncertain of our overall “blend” as a group.
On November 16 and February 1, Ecco rehearsed jointly with the Stanford Chamber Chorale under the direction of Stephen Sano. Talented Stanford singers led sectional rehearsals in breakout rooms, fulfilling the roles that would otherwise be performed by Eric or Joel. Then, after a brief icebreaker activity, Ecco singers were given time to ask questions about Stanford, choral music, college life, high school, etc. Some questions included: if you could redo your freshman year of college, what would you do differently? What does a typical day at Stanford look like? What advice would you give about pursuing music in college? The responses ranged from enlightening to humorous, and both choirs were able to bond over their shared passion.
The second half of rehearsal on November 16 was devoted to a guest lecture by the renowned climate scientist Michael Mastrandrea. The presentation discussed emissions data from various economic sectors, the causes and effects of climate change, and some potential solutions to the crisis. In addition to enhancing our scientific knowledge, Mastrandrea’s lecture allowed us to place “Wake Up” within its particularly exigent context.
The recording process for “Wake Up” was twofold: one audio recording and one video. For the audio recording, PEBCC staff created backing tracks for each part; we merely listened to the tracks through headphones and sang into our phones. Recording can be a very frustrating endeavor because small mistakes unexpectedly occur in the unlikeliest of places. As a rule of thumb, I usually do three takes, listen to each one, and choose the one which minimizes errors.
While the audio recording only required limited body percussion, the video recording was a much bigger undertaking: singing in a modified concert uniform while performing the entire body percussion part. In order to best capture the vibrant youth energy that is driving climate activism, we decided to change our concert uniforms from formal tuxedos and dresses to casual black shirts and pants. We were also encouraged to include one or more symbolic items in our backgrounds, such as paintings, plants, posters, or sheet music. The final product for “Wake Up” will be assembled by adding climate-inspired media to the audio recordings (sound) and videos (no sound).
Although time is running dangerously short, we can still save our planet if we cooperate. Climate change is a global concern and no country will be completely immune from its effects. Thus, as a precondition, any coordinated response to the crisis must have the full support of the international community. I firmly believe that if the nations of the world put their differences aside (and listen to our music!), anything is possible. Wake up!
— Owen Klein, Member of the Ecco Leadership Team