Ear to the Earth
ensemble

Ear to the Earth Ensemble is a contemporary music ensemble dedicated to environmental
awareness, formed by present and former students of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. As members of the premiere contemporary music group of the school, the Ensemble Academy, the musicians are experienced and passionate about contemporary ensemble music and exploring interactive methods of music-making.

Ear to the Earth collaborates with composers and other like-minded musicians who wish to
connect to audiences in a way beyond the traditional performer-audience dichotomy. The
ensemble has begun to carve a path within contemporary music that is rapidly becoming more important: environmental appreciation. For us, teaching active listening is the first step to making changes in the community: How might musicians offer a platform to practice active listening to audience members? Guided improvisations, graphical scores, physical movement, and non-verbal communication techniques are incorporated into our programs to help audiences listen and be the creators of their own music. With this, Ear to the Earth hopes to inspire people to listen attentively to their surroundings.

Ruth Mareen, violin
Antonio Dorado Salguero, cello
Petra Valtellina, flute
Miguel Esperanza Pérez, clarinet
Rui Baga Simões, piano
Porter Ellerman, percussion

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Performances Ear to the Earth