MINDY PETERSON, NCTM

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

 

April 20, 2021

A sonic exploration of the Vatnajökull Glacier in Iceland resulted in a collection of glacial found sounds. These captured sounds were then used to create a musical tribute to glaciers, and have also been made available to others to use. Sonic explorer, composer, and audio engineer Charles Van Kirk says, “There is a huge sense of urgency to make some kind of artistic tribute to these glaciers, now before they totally recede away.”

Guest

Today is April 20, and this week we celebrate Earth Day. My guest today has traveled to Iceland, to the largest glacier in Europe, and used the various sounds of the glacier to compose a musical tribute to them. Charles Van Kirk is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. He’s joining me today from Maine, where he is an audio engineer and composer. Charles’ award-winning work has been featured on numerous media outlets, including ABC and WNYC; and has been used in advertising content produced for National Geographic, The United Nations, Google, and Nike, among others.

Notes

• I love the opening sentence on Charles’ website “About” page: “My job is to tell stories with sound.” Charles explains how he ended up telling the story of glaciers through their sounds and music.
• Charles describes his Jan 2020 trip to the Vatnajökull Glacier in Iceland, capturing the glacier’s sounds, and creating music with the sounds.
• Capturing these found sounds creates a “Beautiful snapshot of a moment in time.” Charles notes that the glaciers may never sound exactly the same as they do now.

 Connect/Other Resources

• Charles’ website 
• Twitter @charlesvankirk
• Charles on LinkedIn
• To download Charles’ captured glacier sounds, visit: https://splice.com/sounds/splice-explores/iceland
• Charles references:
  • The Icelandic tour company Melrakki Adventures
  • A tool he used called Sensory Percussion (made by Sunhouse)
  • Upcoming projects with the National Resource Defense Council
  • The Books’ Nick Zammuto
  • Musician Steve Reich
  • Julia Easterlin (formerly Hite) who sings on the track with Charles (Bandcamp page)

In Episode Promo

This is a quick break to thank today’s sponsor, Songtrust. Songtrust is the world’s largest global royalty collection service – it helps artists both know and access the royalties they’re owed, allowing YOU, the artist, to focus on creating and producing—not administrating. Songtrust represents over 350,000 songwriters, including both Grammy winners and up-and-coming songwriters. Did you know there is an estimated $250 million in unclaimed royalties?! You can register your songs quickly, in ONE place. Songtrust will then collect what you’re owed from over 50 global pay sources. Songtrust is currently offering my listeners 20% off their registration fee. Just use the code ENHANCELIFE20 at checkout. Check them out at songtrust.com. While you’re there, you’ll see another reason I’m a fan – they offer a ton of free educational resources, including virtual workshops, a blog, and the Modern Guide to Music Publishing.

 

Coda

Charles shares the song he composed as a tribute to glaciers, using almost exclusively found sounds from his trip to the the Vatnajökull Glacier. 

Closing Words

Thank you so much to Charles for sharing this experience and musical tribute with us today.  You can download and use these ice and glacier sounds  from Charles’ sonic exploration. They are on Splice’s website.

I would love to hear from you! You can connect with me on Facebook & Instagram @EnhanceLifeMusic; I’m also on Twitter (@musicenhances) and LinkedIn. Thank you so much for joining me today, and for sharing the show with your friends and family. Until next week, may your life be enhanced with music.

View episode transcription.

 

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