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What Music Is
Harmony’s Meaning in an Evolving Universe
By Bill Barclay
Full orchestra
Speaker
Piano
Projections by Shawn Feeney
Grapple with life’s greatest mysteries in concert with some of classical music’s most enduring works. Together we’ll take a journey from quantum physics to our solar system and beyond, exploring the music of the spheres from Plato to today.
What Music Is reveals music’s expansive role in our collective well-being. Every human culture ever studied makes music, but its role in human evolution remains a mystery, until now. In this show, we propose music’s purpose in human life, the critical role live music plays in civic wellness, and how we can leverage music’s powers for human flourishing.
World Premiere with The San Juan Symphony:
Durango, CO – February 22, 2025
Farmington, NM – February 23, 2025
Thomas Heuser, conductor
Shawn Feeney, animations
Developed through special engagements at:
King’s College, London
La Universita de Santiago, Chile
Tanglewood Music Festival, MA
Shakespeare’s Globe, London
The Public Theater, Boston
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon
The Royal Anthropological Society, London
St. Botolph’s Club, Boston
Now available on SOUNDWORKS is a new exploration of Barclay’s groundbreaking material.
Framed as a 7-day sound meditation course, the listener is guided into a deep communion with sound, and what music means for our consciousness.
“I have tried to create a tool that I would like to have had starting out as a musician. Why does the logic of music have to feel exclusive? It doesn’t operate that way. Getting the richness of music philosophy out of its academic armour and into accessible terms is one of my life goals.
I’m very grateful that my friends at Soundworks have built a platform that so elegantly can support this kind of material. And I’m so eager to know what you think. So please enjoy, share, and let me know how you get on.”
-Bill Barclay
