Watershed Voices (Water is Me) Videos

Watershed Voices: Water Is Me brings together a collection of videos that illuminate Glenn McClure’s unique approach to transforming scientific data into music. Through these pieces, you’ll hear how watersheds, climate patterns, and human experiences become sonic landscapes. Start with Glenn’s explanation of his sonification process, then explore the stories, sounds, and creative discoveries that flow from this remarkable fusion of art and science.

Glenn Talks about his Sonification Process

Sister Water: Missa Brevis by Glenn McClure Performance by Choeur Classique de l’Outaouais, Directed by Tiphaine Legrand Confiteor

Singers from the Choeur Classique de l’Outaouais of Gatineau Quebec sing Glenn McClure’s missa brevis entitled, “Sister Water.” This is part of the artist in residence program of the Lake Champlain Basin Project that used scientific data to generate core melodies and harmonies for the new musical works.

Kyrie

Gloria

Agnus Dei

Miserere Dei

Testimonials of singers from the Choeur Classique de l’Outaouais’ premier of Sister Water

Wind and Rain Composer Notes

“Wind and Rain” is a choral piece by composer Glenn McClure that draws on both ancient folk tradition and environmental memory. Inspired by the traditional folk song of the same name (famously performed by Peggy Seeger), McClure reinterprets the melody through a contemporary lens — combining the original tune with a second, new melody derived from scientific data.

Specifically, the additional melody emerges from sediment-core samples collected from Wolf Lake in New York’s central Adirondacks. The layers of sediment — studied over centuries — tell a story of environmental change and human impact on the landscape. In weaving this data-driven melody with the folk tune, McClure transforms “Wind and Rain” into a musical dialogue between humanity and nature.

The piece reimagines the ending of the folk ballad: rather than centering on its dark narrative, McClure embraces the song’s concluding image of human bodies returning to earth — becoming part of nature’s chorus. Through voices and data, “Wind and Rain” becomes a haunting — yet hopeful — meditation on memory, ecology, and our enduring connection to the Earth.

Wind and Rain

Performance by Vox Luscinae (SSAA), Directed by Brian Stevens

Theresa Bear Fox – Akwesasne Song from Lake Champlain

Jay Baba “Precious Water” Original Mix

Jay Baba “Precious Water” Acoustic Mix

Jay Baba “Precious Water” Remake Mix

Francois-Hughes Leclair Flot Libre (Free Flow)

Hughes’ Talk on his music in English

Hughes’ Talk in French

Rehearsal recording of “Flot Libre”