Aurea Ensemble: Of Nature Composed at First Unitarian Church

Breaking boundaries between words and music, this performance ensemble with a superb string quartet at its core calls us to listen closely to some of America’s most eloquent composers, poets and writers, pointing us to fira deeper understanding of our natural world.

Highly praised for its transcendent quality, “Of Nature Composed” premiered in 2016 to celebrate the centennial of the Pulitzer Prize through an exploration of nature, science, the arts and humanities.

This deftly arranged concert program features music by Pulitzer Prize winner John Luther Adams, “one of the most original musical thinkers of the new century” (The New Yorker), composers Charles Griffes, John Cage, Lou Harrison, and Charles Ives; Pulitzer Prize winning poet Galway Kinnell; former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser; and naturalists Henry David Thoreau and John Muir.

Featuring:
Nigel Gore, spoken word
Chris Turner, harmonica, spoken word
Mina Lavcheva, Alexey Shabalin, violins
Consuelo Sherba, viola
Emmanuel Feldman, cello

Presented as part of FirstWorks Earth First programming. Originally commissioned by Rhode Island Council for the Humanities in 2016 to celebrate the centennial of the Pulitzer Prize. Special thanks to FirstWorks’ Earth First Supporters: National Grid Foundation, CDQ Trust and Nordson Corporation Foundation for making this program possible.