PROJECTS

CURRENT PROJECTS

REALIZED - 2023-present
Piloted in 2023, this ongoing educational initiative was designed and facilitated by Halcyon members Sophie and Luke. Last year’s programming included a series of participatory workshops with Maine high school students that provided source material for three stop-motion animations, shared with live musical accompaniment as part of a 35-minute multimedia performance. The workshops and ensuing animations imagine our collective future in the face of climate change: amplifying the voices of young people as they reflect on the present and imagine what a resilient, sustainable, and equitable future on this planet could look like 50 years from now. An expanded initiative is in progress for the 2024-2025 academic year. Watch a live performance of this year's show here.

PLASTIC - in development

This animation is about plastic: its brief history, pervasive presence in our lives, impact on the planet, and ultimately its definition as something that, like our behavior, can be molded and transformed. Using plastic as the medium, we will combine narration with music to animate the story of how a plastic doll’s head made its way to a remote glacier in Greenland. Through plastic, this film explores our relationship with plastics and the natural world and tells the story of human influence and our ability to ignore what feels too big to change. This project is a collaboration between Halcyon and Arctic Scientist Dr. Susana Hancock.

CLIMATE ACTION IN ROCKPORT - in development

In partnership with the Rockport Conservation Commission, HP Environmental, and the town of Rockport, Halcyon is developing a multimedia performance that communicates findings from the town’s 2024 Climate Action Grant: A Social Vulnerability Assessment for Community Resilience. The performance is intended to be communicative, accessible, and emotional: amplifying the voices of the many stakeholders working to ensure a sustainable future for the town of Rockport. A public performance will take place in March, 2025.

GHOST APPLES: A CHAMBER OPERA - in development

In a collaboration with composer Nathan Davis and Maine Poet Laureate Julia Bouwsma, Halcyon will commission and perform a 30-minute chamber opera that reflects on Maine’s agrarian histories and present agricultural narratives to reimagine a collective future in the face of climate change. Structured in part as a series of letters to future generations, the work is inspired by Virgil’s Georgics and will combine song, with Halcyon's music and projected film. With the libretto inspired by the land’s agrarian histories, the opera embraces the uncertainty inherent in an imagined future while inspiring audiences to actively create the communities and ecosystems that will remain strong and resilient for generations to come. The opera will be performed throughout Maine in 2025.

past projects

GETTING ONBOARD | 2023 - 2024 | Searsmont, Belfast, Waldoboro
In collaboration with ecologist Janet McMahon, Coastal Mountains Land Trust, and Midcoast Conservancy, this multimedia performance series combines live music, imagery, science, and spoken word to explore the impacts of climate change in Waldo County and Lincoln County. It examines landscape diversity, present and future climate projections, and ideas around increasing ecological and community resilience. In addition to a presentation by Janet McMahon and Halcyon's live string quartet music, the performance features audio recordings of community voices as they collectively respond to the challenges and opportunities that climate change inspires.

TIPPING POINTS | 2022-2023 | Statewide
This multimedia performance explores the environmental, social, and economic drivers of climate change. Through animation, film, and live music, Tipping Points explores the ways that the media, economy, and persistent messaging around sustainability, growth, and the future shape our everyday behavior. It's featured animation, 1492 has been selected at multiple film festivals.

RISE UP! | 2022 | NORTH HAVEN, VINALHAVEN, ROCKLAND, PORTLAND
Through synchronous film and live music, this show explores the impacts of sea level rise on the communities and coastlines of Vinalhaven, North Haven, Rockland, and Portland Maine. The performance features Halcyon's live music, artist Jill Pelto's watercolor painting "Rising Mitigation," and film footage compiled and animated by Luke Fatora to depict projected sea level rise in each community. Through a combination of live music and synchronous film, this show encourages reflection and action, inspires empathy, and calls on all ages to think deeply about the opportunities for resilience and change within our communities. Click here to see sample films from this show.