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Northland College Winds honor Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute with nature-based concert

October 18, 2011

The Northland College Winds, in conjunction with the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, will present a concert of contemporary wind band music inspired by nature and the environment on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alvord Theatre at Northland College. The event, another offering in the Northland College Community Connections series, is free and open to the public. The concert marks a way for the performing arts at Northland College to honor the presence and work of the Institute.

"The concert is also a way for the arts and the Institute, in collaboration, to honor and celebrate the natural world from both their unique and shared perspectives," says Joel Glickman, Professor of Music at Northland College.

The concert, dubbed "Songs for Planet Earth," will feature contemporary pieces of wind band music, representing some of the finest composers that have been inspired by nature's beauty and forces. In addition, there will be readings from the writings of Sigurd F. Olson given by Katherine Jenkins, Outdoor Education Specialist for the Institute. Alan Brew, Northland College Academic Dean, will give a brief introduction and overview of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute. Musical selections will include "Elements," a "Petite Symphony" by Brian Balmages. The four short movements of "Elements" are titled for, and vividly portray, the four substances formerly believed to constitute all physical matter: air, water, earth and fire.

The Northland College Winds is a college and community music organization led by Joel Glickman, conductor and music director. Students participate both for credit and on a voluntary basis. Membership is open to the community at large. The group embraces a wide range of age and experience. Inquiries may be addressed to jglickman@northland.edu.

Sigurd F. Olson, 1899-1982, was an American author, environmentalist and a pioneering advocate for the protection of wilderness. The Institute was founded after a 1971 conference at Northland College attended by both Sigurd F. Olson and then Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson. The Institute opened in 1972 under the leadership of Robert Matteson. The Institute has housed many initiatives over the years, including Project LoonWatch, the Timber Wolf Alliance, the Apostle Islands School and the Lake Superior Binational Forum.