Music and Science Meet: NCEAS & the Squire Foundation
The Squire Foundation’s second mini-partnership residency this summer 2018 is Chicago-based music composer and conductor Jim Stephenson. He is working in partnership with Ben Halpern, Ph.D.,UCSB marine scientistand executive director of the UCSB National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and the Music Academy of the West (MAW) Montecito.
Stephenson will be composing a chamber piece for 12 players based on his experiences interacting with the 12-member scientific think tank of NCEAS. This is the group’s first music and science collaborative project, which will culminate in a concert summer 2019 at the Lobero Theatre.
The announcement and launch of the project took place at The Morris Squire Foundation’s Villa Maria on July 23. Ben shared with the guests: “Art and Science play key roles in nurturing the innovative thinking we need to deal with complex global and environmental problems. The NCEAS artist-in-residence program is open to artists from painters to poets, musicians, photographers, playwrights, and more. We look forward to working with Jim, who I met at the Music Academy of the West, and the Squire Foundation.”
I interviewed Ashley post-soirée about the collaboration:
Q. If I understand it correctly, this collaboration started with NCEAS?
A. Yes, Ben Halpern – the ED of NCEAS – approached Squire Foundation about collaborating on a project to redefine what our perception of a scientist is. Ben had the scientists but was looking for creatives to help breathe life into this project. Immediately, I thought of our Squire Artist in Residence for 2017 Nicole Berry to do portraits of the scientists. We approached her about the idea and she really resonated with it, and so the collaboration began! Ben came back to us saying that Music Academy found composer Jim Stephenson, who would create an original score inspired by scientists to complete the art collaboration, and we were and are thrilled to be hosting him this week at Via Maria Villa.
During Jim’s visit this summer, he will conduct a piece he wrote for MAW. NCEAS and the MAW will commission a new chamber piece based on Jim’s experience in residence at NCEAS. Jim will return in the summer of 2019 to premiere the completed works at the Lobero Theatre. We will host a panel with Jim and the NCEAS scientists.
I recall a photo in your office of Morris Squire imitating the famous photo of Einstein sticking out his tongue at United Press photographer Arthur Sasse on March 14, 1951…
[laughing] Yes, Einstein was Morris Squire’s favorite source of inspiration; he said that imagination was more important to a scientist than knowledge. Our Artist in Resident program is designed to provide a creative sanctuary to allow the imagination to soar for all people, and with the merging of art and science in this collaboration between the Squire Foundation, NCEAS, and the Music Academy of the West – the sky is the limit.
Seen at the event were Sarah Rubin York SB Arts commissioner; Ana Papakhain Music Academy of the West VP Marketing and Communications; Alice Brophy Richardson; Perrin Pellegrin managing partner Innovative Workshop Consulting; Nati Smith arts advocate; Lois Mitchell Squire Foundation Board member and principle at Launch Philanthropic Consulting; and Nicole Berry, Squire Foundation 2017 Artists in Residence.
NCEAS is currently seeking proposals from artists for the March 2019 residency, so check their website to apply.
411: www.thesquirefoundation.org
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