Composer Cheryl E. Leonard explores water in California with three intricate compositions. Intertwining field recordings with sounds performed on natural materials, glass, and metal, Watershed features the unique voices, rhythms, and sonic textures of water and ice, while reflecting on tough issues surrounding water in California, such as drought, flooding, and sea level rise. Leonard’s field recordings highlight sounds from oceans, estuaries, lakes, streams, rivers, and caves, including Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Windansea Beach, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, and Lower Cathedral Lake and Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park. The instruments and natural materials played on the album are glass, driftwood, stones, shells, crab claws, bird bones, feathers, kelp, Japanese bowl gongs, Nepalese bells, water, and sand.
credits
released January 7, 2019
Composed, performed, recorded, and produced by Cheryl E. Leonard.
Mastered by Thomas Dimuzio at Gench Studios.
Artwork by Rebecca Haseltine.
Design by Cheryl E. Leonard and Michael J. Leonard.
Thanks to Janet and William Leonard, Rebecca Haseltine, Angie Eng, Valerie Zimmer, Cliff Neighbors, Judit Hersko, Tatiana Sizonenko, Heath Fox, Mike Mishler, Kara West, Alexander Gershunov, Art Miller, David Pierce, Shang-Ping Xie, Kristin Guirguis, Sarah Giddings, the La Jolla Historical Society, the San Diego Public Library Gallery, and Shapeshifters Cinema.
Cheryl E. Leonard is a composer, performer and instrument builder whose works investigate sounds, structures, and objects
from the natural world. Her projects often feature one-of-a-kind sculptural instruments and field recordings from remote locales. She uses microphones to explore the subtle intricacies of sounds and develops compositions that highlight these unique voices....more
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