rivers are our brothers
Steven Nightingale Sky Room, Nevada Museum of Art, June 5, 2021.
Commissioned by Musica Sierra, and created in partnership with learning landscapes, an educational program of the feather river land trust …
… the Rivers are our Brothers is a song cycle on ecological responsibility told from the point of view of the land. The songs in the cycle take a first-person view of nature, ascribing human qualities and feelings to elements of the landscape: water, trees, mountains, rivers, etc.
Currently, Connery tours Rivers as an electro-acoustic duo with Felix Fan (electric cello). The cycle is also on tour with Grammy-winning choir Chanticleer throughout the 2023-24 season.
Stream the album on Apple Music, Spotify or Bandcamp:
A benefit for the Feather River Land Trust on a very blustery day!
"The goal is to give nature a voice —to allow these vibrant things to speak on their own behalf,” says connery.
She adds, "The choice to use a vocoder might seem unusual, but it has the uncanny ability to become these other voices." The title of the cycle is based on a quote from the Native American leader, Chief Seattle, who believed we must relate to our environment the way we relate to our closest kin.
The adorable audience in Downieville, CA.
The Rivers are our Brothers premiered June 2021 at the Sky Room at the Nevada Museum of Art, Lost Marbles Ranch, the Sierra River Valley Preserve, and in 17 mini concerts for elementary school classrooms pre-K through 12 in the Sierra River Valley. Connery has since performed Rivers internationally including a fall 2023 tour of Italy and in the U.S. at venues including The Exploratorium (San Francisco), BAMPFA (Berkeley), Chapel of the Chimes (Oakland), Wave Hill Arboretum, St. John’s College, Chatter (ABQ+Santa Fe). Grammy-winning choir Chanticleer is touring an arrangement of Rivers throughout 2023-24.
Upcoming shows:
April 28, 2024 Gather @ MoCAD (NYC w/ Felix Fan)
May 10, 2024 Biggest Week in American Birding Conference (Toledo, Ohio w/ Bowerbird Collective)