3 December, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln
(Chamber Music Hall/ Kammermusiksaal)
Lecture as part of the lecture series ‘Zukunft(((s)))musik’ (Future Music) by Dr Sara Beimdieke and Sara Walther (PhD)
The climate crisis is not only an ecological and political challenge, but also an aesthetic and narrative one. Musicians and composers address it in their works, making experiences of crisis audible and tangible. At the same time, music is stylised in the public perception as a beacon of hope, credited with the ability to raise awareness and initiate changes in behaviour – even if this ultimately requires political decisions at the global level.
The lecture therefore discusses the transformative potential of music from both a cultural studies and music education perspective: on the one hand, in marking and narrating the current state of affairs as a crisis. On the other hand, it can enable (eco-)critical thinking and listening in participatory spaces
that reflects on more-than-human interdependencies and imagines futures worth living in. Within this framework, an ecological reading of musical narratives is undertaken, which oscillate between utopian designs – including ecokitschy images of nature – and dystopian, apocalyptic soundscapes, taking up religious topoi and at the same time making visible the still anthropocene view of the world and our idea of “nature” in music.
You can find more information about the lecture series here.
Dr Sara Beimdieke studied school music, English language and literature, and education at the University of Siegen. She completed her doctorate in 2014 with a thesis on Ernst Krenek’s television opera and has been working as a postdoctoral researcher in historical musicology at the University of Siegen since 2015. She has extensive teaching experience, including a visiting professorship at the University of Cologne and teaching assignments at several renowned music academies.
Sara Walther studied media studies, philosophy, musicology and singing and is currently working on her doctorate as a research assistant at the Institute for European Music Ethnology in the Department of Art and Music in the Faculty of Human Sciences.
