Join us for a sonic journey with composer Cheryl E. Leonard, who crafts immersive soundscapes using field recordings and musical instruments made from shells, bones, rocks, seaweed, driftwood, and more. Leonard will discuss how she has collaborated with wild environments across California, and in both Antarctica and the Arctic, to create music that deepens our connections with the natural world. She will share field recording successes and defeats, instrument-building eureka moments, how to play music on limpet shells, and strategies for notating fizzy icebergs. Her presentation will feature unique audio examples and live demonstrations of natural-object musical instruments. An audience Q & A will follow her talk.

Cheryl E. Leonard is a San Francisco-based composer, performer, field recordist, and instrument builder. She uses microphones and amplification to explore sonic intricacies, highlighting unique voices and soundscapes while addressing environmental issues. Her projects feature sculptural natural-object instruments and recordings from remote locales, and have been presented in concerts and art exhibitions in the Americas, Europe, Japan, and Australasia. Grants awarded include the Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, American Music Center, American Composers Forum, and ASCAP. Commissions include works for SFMOMA, Kronos Quartet, Small Press Traffic, and Funsch Dance. Her recordings are available on Other Minds, mappa, Gilgongo, and numerous other labels. www.allwaysnorth.com

The event will take place in the Library Program Room. Registration is suggested. Walk-ins are welcome.