The Chautauqua Chamber Music Resident Artist Series emerges from its winter cocoon at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 2, in Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall with the program “Metamorphosis.”
The performance features two works: William Grant Still’s “Danza de Panama,” based on a collection of Panamanian folk songs, and Richard Strauss’ “Metamorphosen for String Septet.” These pieces will be performed by Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra double bassist Caitlyn Kamminga, three CSO musicians, and three of the 2022 CSO Diversity Fellows — violinists Amanda Gates and Patricia Quintero Garcia; violists Eva Stern and Javier Otalora; and cellists Lars Kirvan and Max Oppeltz.
But this isn’t a traditional chamber recital. After each piece, Kamminga will be joined in conversation with Chautauqua Institution Climate Change Initiative Director Mark Wenzler to reflect “on how the concepts of metamorphosis and transformation manifest across music, biology, and earth science,” Wenzler said.
Kamminga selected the pieces for Saturday’s performance based on “their opportunity to provide reflections on the theme of metamorphosis,” Wenzler said, “both as a compositional technique and as a metaphor for the science of change, specifically climate change.”
Kamminga recently completed her term as the climate change coordinator for the International Teaching Artists Collaborative, where she explored the intersection between participatory arts and action on climate change. ITAC has created a framework through which teaching artists can design and lead projects in their local communities to positively impact the climate crisis using teaching artistry.
“Caitlyn is really bringing that focus to our Chautauqua community through Saturday’s performance,” Wenzler said.
Following the performance, the audience is invited to the porch of Lenna Hall to keep the discussion going; Wenzler said attendees would have the opportunity to make a pledge to take one personal action over the coming year to help solve the climate crisis. Additionally, free copies of the special Chautauqua edition of The World’s Littlest Book on Climate Change: 10 Facts in 10 Minutes About CO2 will be made available to the audience.
