(Marquette, Michigan) - It was standing room only for the debut of the Boreal Chamber Symphony in Marquette, Michigan in a benefit concert to protect Lake Superior.
The Lake Superior Day concert was sponsored by the Superior Watershed Partnership and the Cedar Tree Institute and honored the Earth Keeper Initiative that the two Marquette non-profit organizations founded in 2004.
Nearly 400 people attended the free three-hour concert Sunday night (July 15, 2007) that raised thousands of dollars for the Lake Superior Defense Fund.
"Wow - never in our wildest dreams did we expect such a great public turn-out," said Carl Lindquist, executive director of the Superior Watershed Partnership. "The concert drew almost 400 people, standing room only."
"I think this confirms that residents of the Upper Peninsula have a real commitment to the arts and to Lake Superior," Lindquist said.
Conductor Craig Randal Johnson of Minneapolis, Minnesota led 20 professional classical musicians from around the Midwest in a concert of many moods.
Organizers commissioned a thundering special piece for the concert by Iron county native Evan Premo entitled "Fall Storm on Lake Superior" that was inspired by a chapter in a book by Lon Emerick.
With a view of Lake Superior, the concert had music and interpretive dance using items from the shoreline like rocks, sand, water, and driftwood including the premier of a dramatic work named "Elements" by percussionists Carrie Biolo and James A. Strain and dancer Maria Formolo.
The organizers thanked the crowd for their ongoing support of Earth Keeper projects.
"In the last three years, the Upper Peninsula has broken three national records as far as pollution prevention goes and we hope to continue that with your support," Lindquist told the audience.
The annual Earth Keeper Clean Sweeps have broken United States Environmental Protection Agency household hazardous waste collection records for the past three years, Lindquist said.
"There is no cost here - it's just a gift back to you - and it's brought to you basically by a couple of dozen very generous people," said Rev. Jon Magnuson, executive director of the Cedar Tree Institute.
The Earth Keepers have numerous ongoing projects to protect the immense Lake Superior watershed including wild rice restoration and Earth Day household hazardous waste collections across northern Michigan.
Annual Earth Keeper Clean Sweeps have recycled or properly disposed of over 370 tons of waste that would otherwise have ended up in landfills including old/broken computers, cell phones, household poisons, vehicle batteries, and pharmaceuticals.
The Boreal Chamber symphony was formed just for the one-night event, although organizers hope to hold a concert every Lake Superior Day. Conductor Johnson has encouraged musicians around Lake Superior to form similar annual concerts to protect the largest freshwater lake in North America.
The Superior Watershed Partnership and the Cedar Tree Institute have collaborated on numerous environmental projects over the last decade including but not limited to stream restoration, controlling invasive species, restoring native plant species, storm water management, dune restoration, Great Lakes monitoring, wild rice restoration, erosion control and energy conservation.
Partners in those projects include Marquette County Juvenile Court, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and over 140 churches/temples.
The bishops/leaders of nine faith traditions (Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, and Zen Buddhist) signed the Earth Keeper Covenant in 2004 pledging to actively protect the environment and reach out to American Indian tribes.
For more information contact the concert co-sponsors: Carl Lindquist, 906-228-6095; Rev. Jon Magnuson, 906-228-5494.
Related websites:
Superior Watershed Partnership
http://www.superiorwatersheds.orgThe Cedar Tree Institute
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.orgConductor Craig Randal Johnson
http://www.tonttu.comLake Superior Binational Forum
http://www.superiorforum.info
