We Are the Forest—Music of Resilience and Activism

Fresh from their trip to the Brazilian Amazon, 80 gifted MIT musicians join Grammy-nominated guest artists in a concert featuring hot and heartfelt music of Brazil and Puerto Rico.

This consciousness-raising event will include powerful and moving footage from Manaus, Brazil, where students connected with Amazonian scientists and indigenous musicians and communities, and, through the shared language of music, explored the value and urgency of cultural and environmental sustainability.

Featuring
MIT Wind Ensemble, MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble, MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble
Frederick Harris, Jr., Music Director
Laura Grill Jaye, Director, MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble
Anat Cohen, clarinetist-composer; Sara Serpa, vocalist-composer; Miguel Zenón, saxophonist-composer; Djuena Tikuna, vocalist-songwriter; Evan Ziporyn, clarinetist-composer

Program introduced by Agustín Rayo, Dean, MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences and Professor of Philosophy

Anat Cohen is an internationally celebrated Grammy-nominated jazz clarinetist-saxophonist and renowned Brazilian music performer. The Jazz Journalists Association has awarded her "Clarinetist of the Year" annually since 2007.

Sara Serpa is a vocalist-composer widely recognized as a top jazz vocalist by NPR, The New York Times, and Downbeat Magazine. As co-founder of Mutual Mentorship for Musicians, she is a leader in gender equity in music.

Miguel Zenón is a multi-Grammy nominee, MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellow, and a leading jazz saxophonist-composer of his generation. Beginning in the fall of 2023 he serves as Assistant Professor of Music in Jazz at MIT.

Djuena Tikuna is a vocalist-songwriter and activist. The Tikuna people are Brazil’s largest indigenous Amazonian ethnic group. Djuena has performed at the Olympic Games and the Indigenous World Games.

Evan Ziporyn is an internationally recognized composer-clarinetist, former music director of Bang on a Can All-Stars, celebrated recording artist, MIT Distinguished Professor of Music, and Director of MIT’s Center for Art, Science and Technology. An expert in Balinese music, he founded MIT’s Gamelan Gala Tika.