Matthew Burtner - Matthew Burtner: Glacier Music — Ecoacoustics of Glaciers (2019)

Glaciers represent some of the most striking examples of nature's power and artistry, while simultaneously revealing the impact of mankind's actions. With pieces including a composition for Barack Obama's 2015 GLACIER Conference in Alaska, Matthew Burtner's GLACIER MUSIC breaks through the controversy around global warming. With electroacoustic compositions recorded on top of melting glaciers, GLACIER MUSIC makes the issue unavoidable: while we converse and debate over climate change, iconic pieces of natural history are slipping away. Matthew Burtner is an Alaskan-born composer, sound artist and eco-acoustician whose music and research explores embodiment, ecology, polytemporality and noise. First Prize Winner of the Musica Nova International Electroacoustic Music Competition (Czech Republic), a 2011 IDEA Award Winner, and a recipient of the Howard Brown Foundation Fellowship, Burtner's music has also received honors and awards from Bourges (France), Gaudeamus (Netherlands), Darmstadt (Germany) and The Russolo (Italy) international competitions. He is Professor of Composition and Computer Technologies (CCT) at the University of Virginia, and Director of the environmental arts non-profit organization, EcoSono.