When you spy the cap of a mushroom in a forest, what you are actually seeing is a mere fraction of the fungal organism that produced it. The vast majority of the organism is comprised of mycelium—subterranean tendrils that form vast networks beneath the forest floor. These networks are not only what allow the fungus to propogate, they also act as an integral player in the entire forest ecosystem. Specifically, mycelium networks latch onto the roots of trees and other plant life, exchanging some energy for essential nutrients the trees and plants rely upon to be healthy. This symbiotic relationship runs deeper, however. By passing nutrients through these networks, some trees and plants have evolved a remarkable ability to literally communicate with one another: They alert one another to disease and predation, and even assist one another, altering their root structures to make space for growth, and sharing their nutrients.
  When musicians perform as an ensemble, they must form a collective intelligence to produce a desired group sound. Sometimes this collective intelligence can behave quite like an organic network, analogous to trees and plants communicating through mycelium. In creating A Mind in the Branches, I intended to realize a work of music that would bring this process of collective intelligence to the forefront of the performance. Rather than treating the ensemble as a homogenous unit that traverses a linear work of music from beginning to end, the performers instead have their own individual agency, their own ability to explore the score a number of non-linear ways. However, in doing so, they will also encounter instances in which they must work together, or musically communicate with one another, or even behave as a homogenous unit for a moment, should the need arise. In doing so, the performers become interdependent "trees" in the ecosystem that is A Mind in the Branches.

Performed by the ECHOES Ensemble, Prague. July 2023.

Composed by Nicholas Denton Protsack.

A Mind In The Branches

An ongoing aspiration of BMI Award-winning composer and cellist, Nicholas Denton Protsack, is to seek new connections between music and the natural world. Called a "(composer) to keep a close eye on" by the Canadian Music Centre, Nicholas' ecologically informed music includes composed works, studio albums, and experimental improvisations, and has been featured in a wide variety of concert settings across North America, Europe, and New Zealand. Recent accomplishments include two first prizes in the 2021 SOCAN Foundation Young Composers Awards and commissioned works for the Toronto Summer Music Festival and the American Prize-winning Ensemble for These Times (E4TT).

	As a cellist, Nicholas is an active freelance performer and advocate of new music—frequently involved in collaborative projects that range from traditional to highly experimental concert idioms. Although primarily a chamber musician, he has also appeared as a soloist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra.

	Nicholas is currently undertaking a PhD in music at Victoria University of Wellington (NZ), studying with composers Michael Norris and Dugal McKinnon. His other major teachers have included David Garner (composition), Jean-Michel Fonteneau (cello), Jennifer Culp (cello), and Morna Howie (cello).