ear to the earth ensemble

Ear to the Earth Ensemble is a contemporary music group consisting of present and former students of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, focusing on environmentalism in a musical context. With a shared passion for new music and innovative performance practices, the ensemble collaborates with composers and other musicians to develop reconnections with audiences to their environment. The inclusion of their audience and incorporation of guided improvisations, graphical scores, physical movement, and non-verbal communication techniques into their programs are utilized to help audiences learn to listen and recognize the importance of sound, empathy, and attention. In 2023, they debuted their program "Festival of Whispers" at the Delft Fringe Festival, receiving the Delft Chamber Music Award and vibrant praise. Ear to the Earth inspires people to listen attentively to their surroundings and other people, offering immersive and accessible experiences for audiences into contemporary music without barriers.

Ear to the Earth Ensemble is a contemporary music ensemble dedicated to environmental awareness, formed by present and former students of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. As members of the premiere contemporary music group of the school, the Ensemble Academy, the musicians are experienced in various styles and have a shared passion for new music and innovative performance practices.

Philosophy

Ear to the Earth collaborates with composers and other like-minded musicians who wish to connect to audiences in a way beyond the traditional performer-audience dichotomy. By combining the philosophies of Pauline Oliveros, John Cage, and Matthew Burtner, along with the theory of resignification and the music genre of “ecoacoustics,” the ensemble has begun to carve an indelible niche into contemporary music that is rapidly becoming more important: environmental appreciation.

At the ensemble's core lies a belief in using participation and inclusion with our audience. Active listening is the first step to making changes in the community - how might musicians offer a platform to practice active listening to audience members? Guided improvisations, graphical scores, physical movement, and non-verbal communication techniques are incorporated into our programs to help audiences listen and be the creators of their own music without feeling pressured or judged. With this, Ear to the Earth has inspired people to listen more attentively to their surroundings and other people while also offering immersive and accessible experiences for audiences into contemporary music without barriers.

Projects

Awarded at the 2023 Delft Fringe Festival, Ear to the Earth debuted their program “Festival of Whispers” with great success, winning the Delft Chamber Music award, and with the Volkskrant (2023) describing the performance as “beautiful…[an] experience you didn’t know you didn’t want to miss”. The blend of Matthew Burtner’s “Festival of Whispers” with guided improvisation and Pauline Oliveros’ “Rock Piece” created vibrant atmospheres of expression in four different performing locations. With these pieces, individuals could explore sound in a new way and witness in Burtner’s work how climate change also destroys culture.

Currently, the group is developing new programs for specific spaces and working on new compositions by Alam Hernandez and Porter Ellerman, created especially for the group, with performances within The Hague in 2024. They will perform in the Delft Chamber Music Festival 2024 and are also offering workshops internationally throughout 2024.

Who are we?

Formed by percussionist Porter Ellerman, the group has six full-time members: Ruth Mareen, violin; Antonio Dorado Salguero, cello; Rui Braga Simões, piano; Petra Valtellina, flute; and Miguel Esperanza Pérez, clarinet.

Ear to the Earth is available for booking and performance. Ear to the Earth is flexible.

Performances can be solo or up to all six members upon discussion. The base cost per performer per performance is €320, with rehearsal fees per person for the day (8 hours with 1 hour break) as €135. This is always negotiable depending on circumstances.

We offer a wide range of workshops, from rhythm and voice based to instrument building, to game-guided performance and composition workshops. We love working with all kinds of people and ages. We tend to create custom-made workshops for each collaborator, so let’s talk and see what we can do!