Composer will be in Medina on Saturday working on piece to debut in July 2 concert

MEDINA – A composer working on a new piece that will debut in a July 2 concert will be in Medina on Saturday.

Clarice Assad, a Grammy-nominated composer, welcomes input from the community. She will be in the Canal Basin at 2 p.m. for a “Sound Capture Journey.”

Assad, a Brazilian-American, is developing an orchestral piece that will be performed by Albany Symphony on July 2 in Medina. Assad’s piece will be the centerpiece of the “Water Music New York: More Voices festival.” She will work around the theme of the voices of nature and the environment along the Erie Canal.

 “The goal on March 8 is to create a digital archive of the sounds of nature and the environment, as heard by the Medina community,” said Lily Whiteman, programs manager of Albany Symphony Orchestra. “Clarice and adventurous listeners will capture sound snippets from around Orleans County to tell personal stories about nature and the environment.”

Anyone can join Assad on Saturday or adventure on their own sound-gathering expedition. People can record their favorite spot in the woods or share the sound of the song the birds sing outside their window.

“How do you listen adventurously to the natural world around you?” Whiteman asked.

Email sound files to MedinaSoundArchive@gmail.com. Files can be in any format and should be under 5 minutes.

Be sure to include where you collected the sound, and your first name and last initial, to be included in the online Medina Sound Archive.

Assad will be in the basin in downtown Medina at 2 p.m. on Saturday to talk about the project and to wander about, collecting sounds of nature that run through the community. To join the expedition or for more information, email Whiteman at lilyw@albanysymphony.com.