After its successful world premiere in Cleveland last fall, the environmental oratorio makes its debut in Cincinnati in a FREE performance in partnership with the NALMS International Symposium on Wednesday, October 31 at 21c Museum Hotel.

Voice of the Lake, an Oratorio for Vocal Soloists, Choirs and Instruments is a musical description of Lake Erie, the good and the bad, in the first quarter of the 21st century. The music portrays the constant motion of the waves splashing on the rocks, of walking on the beach, of the sun glinting on the water, of children playing in the water, and of the pleasure of a fisherman in his boat fishing. The Oratorio also depicts the environmental problems that the lake faces. After a canoe trip near the algae friendly river, the mezzo shows photos to her friend and sings of the lake where it is filled with algae. She also shows various innovative attempts to control and stop the algae. Another section of the Oratorio portrays a public hearing over whether to dump the toxic residue that has been dredged from the Cuyahoga River into the lake. This revised version of Voice of the Lake focuses on factual information in the libretto veering away from the use of poetic lines. We hope this musical vista of nature will help raise awareness about the pollution of Lake Erie and its need for protection by dramatizing the story through music.