In the “Citizen Soundscape,” sound artist Alex Chen calls on those residing across Canada to open their ears to the sonic world of the outdoors. He invited community members to record and submit sounds from their favourite outdoor spaces—anything from nature sounds to the bustle of the city to the hum of an outdoor event. Through this task, Alex encouraged people to approach outdoor spaces in new ways, asking them to practice listening by deeply engaging with the nature and people around them. 

The collected sounds were used to create an immersive soundscape, premiered at the Swan Lake Nature House on Lekwungen territory in Victoria, BC. At the in-person presentation, on-site facilitators supplied materials and guided attendees to create their own art inspired by the immersive Citizen Soundscape installation and the natural soundscape of Swan Lake. He also invited visitors to explore the area through self-guided soundwalks.

This piece is for 2-channel audio. For more information about the Citizen Soundscape and its contributors, visit www.alexchenpiano.com.

Citizen Soundscape

Get ready to embark on a journey off the coast of British Columbia as we follow Kelp Creature (a famous Salish Sea humpback whale!) and his oceanic friends through life in the kelp forest. Immerse yourself in a world of orcas and otters, where every sound brings to life the magic of the kelp forest.

This new, free musical narrative is created for young people aged 7-11 and the young-at-heart. The approximately 15-minute piece is perfect for listening at home, for use in the classroom, or for your next commute.

For added fun and learning, you can print illustrations of our ocean cast for colouring and cut-outs, as well as activity guides and teacher resources.
Find them at https://ocean.org/project/the-adventures-of-kelp-creature/. 

The Adventures of Kelp Creature features:
Alexander Richards on sopranino and alto saxophones
Shannon Lewis on flute
Vaughan Cooke on French horn
Shruti Madhusudan on sitar
Melissa Goodchild on clarinet
Alex Chen as composer, lyricist, voice of Kelp Creature, and pianist
Salish Sea field recordings from Jude Abrams (of “Welcoming Whales”)
Dramaturgical work from Jonathan Nash
Visual artwork from Lis Xu

Additional sounds sourced from:
Fishsounds.net – Wilson, B., Batty, R. S., Dill, L. M. 2003. Pacific and Atlantic Herring Produce Burst Pulse Sounds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 271(Suppl_3): S95-S97.
Freesounds.org – Augdog’s Crab.wav
Orcasound.net

The Adventures Of Kelp Creature - High-Quality Audio

Get ready to embark on a journey off the coast of British Columbia as we follow Kelp Creature (a famous Salish Sea humpback whale!) and his oceanic friends through life in the kelp forest. Immerse yourself in a world of orcas and otters, where every sound brings to life the magic of the kelp forest.

This new, free musical narrative is created for young people aged 7-11 and the young-at-heart. The approximately 15-minute piece is perfect for listening at home, for use in the classroom, or for your next commute.

For added fun and learning, you can print illustrations of our ocean cast for colouring and cut-outs, as well as activity guides and teacher resources. Find them at https://ocean.org/project/the-adventures-of-kelp-creature/. 

The Adventures of Kelp Creature features:
Alexander Richards on sopranino and alto saxophones
Shannon Lewis on flute
Vaughan Cooke on French horn
Shruti Madhusudan on sitar
Melissa Goodchild on clarinet
Alex Chen as composer, lyricist, voice of Kelp Creature, and pianist
Salish Sea field recordings from Jude Abrams (of “Welcoming Whales”)
Dramaturgical work from Jonathan Nash
Visual artwork from Lis Xu

Additional sounds sourced from:
Fishsounds.net – Wilson, B., Batty, R. S., Dill, L. M. 2003. Pacific and Atlantic Herring Produce Burst Pulse Sounds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 271(Suppl_3): S95-S97.
Freesounds.org – Augdog’s Crab.wav
Orcasound.net

The Adventures of Kelp Creature

The Adventures of Kelp Creature - Downloadable

I am a pianist, singer, and soundscape composer based out of the unceded Lekwungen territories of Victoria, BC.

Alex Chen

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