Thain Family Forest at the New York Botanical Garden | Bronx Park, Bronx
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The premiere of NYBG Composer-in Residence Angélica Negrón’s newly commissioned, site-specific work for chorus and soundscape in the Thain Family Forest. At a time when giving a voice to trees is more urgent than ever due to climate change and deforestation, this interactive choral experience explored humanity’s relationship with the forest in a world increasingly dominated by technology.
The performance consisted of six musical vignettes, able to be explored in any order and from any direction, featuring robotic and percussion soundscapes designed by Ms. Negrón and instrumentalist Nick Yulman. Vocalists from numerous NYC choral groups including Choral Chameleon, Downtown Voices of Trinity Wall Street, Young New Yorkers’ Chorus, and Celia Cruz High School provided vocal harmonies and lyrics that examined our connections—and disconnections—with nature.
Read the event PROGRAM on NYBG website
MAP
The premiere of NYBG Composer-in Residence Angélica Negrón’s newly commissioned, site-specific work for chorus and soundscape in the Thain Family Forest. At a time when giving a voice to trees is more urgent than ever due to climate change and deforestation, this interactive choral experience explored humanity’s relationship with the forest in a world increasingly dominated by technology.
The performance consisted of six musical vignettes, able to be explored in any order and from any direction, featuring robotic and percussion soundscapes designed by Ms. Negrón and instrumentalist Nick Yulman. Vocalists from numerous NYC choral groups including Choral Chameleon, Downtown Voices of Trinity Wall Street, Young New Yorkers’ Chorus, and Celia Cruz High School provided vocal harmonies and lyrics that examined our connections—and disconnections—with nature.
Read the event PROGRAM on NYBG website
Watch all of the choral passages here (Choral Chameleon's section with Celia Cruz Bronx High School starts at 15:30)
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ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Angélica Negrón is a Puerto Rican-born composer and multi-instrumentalist who writes music for accordions, robotic instruments, toys, and electronics as well as chamber ensembles and orchestras. At NYBG, Negrón will explore musical techniques through interactive performances that give voice to the natural world. She has been commissioned by the Albany Symphony, Bang on a Can All-Stars, A Far Cry, MATA Festival, loadbang, The Playground Ensemble and the American Composers Orchestra, among others. Her music has been performed at the Kennedy Center, the Ecstatic Music Festival, EMPAC, and the 2016 New York Philharmonic Biennial, and her film scores have been heard numerous times at the Tribeca Film Festival. She has collaborated with artists such as Sō Percussion, The Knights, Face the Music and NOVUS NY, among others and is a founding member of the electronic indie band Balún. |
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ABOUT NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
Established in 1891, The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is distinguished by the beauty of its landscape, collections, and gardens, and the scope and excellence of its programs in horticulture, education, and science. NYBG was inspired by an 1888 visit that eminent botanists Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife, Elizabeth, took to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, near London. The Brittons believed New York should have a great botanical garden to advance public understanding of plants, be a repository of rare and valuable specimens, and lead original research in botanical science. Because of its picturesque terrain, freshwater Bronx River, rock-cut gorge, and 50 acres of old-growth forest, the Garden was sited on the northern half of Bronx Park. Today, the 250-acre Garden—the largest in any city in the United States—is a National Historic Landmark. In addition to the natural attributes that attracted the Brittons, NYBG encompasses 50 specialty gardens and collections comprising more than one million plants, the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections, and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the nation’s preeminent Victorian-style glasshouse. Highlights include the award-winning Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, considered among the world’s most sustainable rose gardens; the Native Plant Garden, celebrating the diversity of northeastern North American plants; and 30,000 distinguished trees, many more than 200 years old. More than one million visitors annually enjoy the grounds, view innovative exhibitions, and participate in educational programs that are larger and more diverse than those of any other garden in the world. |
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ABOUT THAIN FAMILY FOREST
For thousands of years, this old-growth Thain Family Forest has changed, adapted and survived. When you visit the Forest, you will walk along Native American hunting trails, see marks left by glaciers, and pass under trees dating back to the American Revolution. The unique beauty and ecological importance of the forest are one of the reasons why the founders selected this site for The New York Botanical Garden in 1895. Today this is the largest uncut expanse of New York’s original wooded landscape. The Forest remains a magnificent reminder of the beauty and resilience of nature in the face of complex human-caused disturbances. To preserve the Forest for future generations the Garden manages invasive species, plants native plants, and performs research. Download the Thain Family Forest Program 2008–2025 to learn more about ongoing forest restoration, education, and research. |