The Power of Music and Gershwin

This is the English translation of my Japanese article for Nikkan San, a part of my bi-weekly column, “The Way of the Pianist.” 

I had the opportunities and perform and speak for climate scientists at the American Geophysical Union as a part of the Tempo: Music for Climate Action team. The space was large, seating 1,800. I had a beautiful full concert grand piano, brought in and tuned for the occasion.

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But the time to present was, of course, limited. What is the essence of my message? It was a good opportunity for me to reevaluate my mission. At the end, I decided that my role as a musician was to focus on joy and hope. I chose the jazzy and playful Gershwin’s Prelude to open the presentation with. And then, I gave the following speech.

What you just heard was a Japanese pianist playing a piece written by a Jewish composer, inspired by jazz.

Music is, indeed, a universal language.

I am a granddaughter of an atomic bomb survivor. The piece I played was composed by a son of Russian Jewish immigrants, in a style developed by African-Americans from the South.  

Music is a reminder that what we share is greater than our differences.

We share our wonders of the unknowns. We share our love of laughter, food, and each other. And we share this planet earth, our home that binds us and our fate together.

Music is both an expression and a source of our resilience.

Roza and Moische Gershowitz came to the United States to escape the rising antisemitism. They became Rose and Morris Gershwine, and birthed the iconic American composer, George Gershwin, in 1898, in Brooklyn, NY. His music is a melting pot of popular and classical music, and jazz, making it both quintessentially American, and universally human.

Music gives voice to the voiceless, efficacy to the marginalized and a sense of belonging to the isolated and divided. Music is contagious. It propagates ideas and disseminates information. Music is vital. It embodies what we live for, and fight for. And perhaps most importantly, music creates resonance out of our diversity, empowering us in our interconnectedness.  

And so, let us unite, with music.   

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My opening was followed by three panel discussions by scientists and musicians, and performances by the Northpark University Orchestra (led by Tom Zelle), and EcoVoice Project choir (led by Kirsten Hedegaard). 

• THEME I: The research is there. What else do we need?
  • Risk perception: by Paul Slovic (on the importance of emotions, and the sense of efficacy)
  • Climate awareness: by Ryan Ward (on effective science communication to confronting climate change)
  • Auditory processing: by Makiko Hirata (on why sonification of data may be more communicative than visualization.)
  • MUSIC: Nomine Terra Calens, (converting 135 years of annual average temperature for to pitches to sonifying its exponential growth)
    • composed by the disaster scientist Lucy Jones,
    • performed by the Northpark University orchestra.
• THEME II: Which emotions evoke actions?
  • Considering the impacts of different emotions – grief, fear, hope, pride, and hope – on motivating climate action.
    • panelists: Lucy Jones (moderator), Paul Slovic, Sarah Dryhurst and Emiliano Rodriguez Nuesch
  • MUSIC: Rising Tide for EcoVoice Project choir and Northpark University Orchestra
    • composed by Jonathan Beard
    • lyrics by Minita Gandhi
• THEME III: Musicians’ role in the climate crisis
  • panelists: Lucy Jones (moderator), Jonathan Beard, Shawn Kirchner, Tom Zelle, Kirsten Hedgaard, and Makiko Hirata.
  • MUSIC: Courage to Care for EcoVoice Project choir.
    • composed by Lucas Walsh,
    • lyrics and arrangement by Shawn Kirchner.