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.
Photo credit above by Jeetan Khada
Jay Baba Precious Water
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 – AkwesasneSong from Lake Champlain
