Project Description
"Les Impressions d'Eau Claire” combines visual art with musical compositions and performances that have all been inspired by six of Eau Claire's natural surroundings, all tied by water. The album was composed by Jacob “Yaki” Hallett and performed by Naomi O’Leary on October 25th, 2023 at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. The first two pieces were originally composed prior to 2023 as singles but were later added to the album as they helped inspire the project. The album alternates between recorded solo piano and nature sounds that helped inspire the pieces.

The mural was designed by Megan Miller, and painted by Miller and Maren Bulovsky. The overall project was mentored and guided by Jyl Kelley, an intermedia artist and Professor of Art at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, and was funded with grants from UWEC's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Student Office of Sustainability. 


About each piece: 

“Sinking Waters”
First composed in 2020, it is based off of a picture of a sunset over the Chippewa river that I took while stuck in quarantine. In this piece I wanted to create something that sounds both beautiful and sinister. In this piece I wanted to portray the beauty of the sunset and natural surroundings while still focusing on the sinister churning water below.

“Skipping Rocks”
In Skipping rocks, which was composed in 2022, you start with the gentle lilt of the water flowing by. Then I wanted to imitate the splashing of water when skipping a rock. As the piece goes by, you slowly get better at skipping rocks. Eventually, you tire of only enjoying one aspect and it changes into wanting to throw a big rock, watching as it splashes and causes ripples that fade away. 

“Putnam Rock”
This location has always been a place of solace and mediation for me. I love to listen to the world around me while in a pocket of nature. You can hear the gentle trickle of water over Putnam Rock, the birds singing, and the church bells in the distance. In this piece, the listener is engulfed by the sounds of nature and lets their mind wander. They sink into their minds and meditate about things in their lives that may be bothering them. Eventually, they clear their mind and return to the world around them. 

“Mount Simon”
One of the highest points in Eau Claire, WI is Mount Simon. When exploring this location, the first aspect I noticed was how much reverb there was. If you yelled, you could hear it rebound and ring throughout the park. I portrayed this in my piece by using lots of pedaling and elongated motifs. To showcase the mount’s grandeur, I used stacks of 5ths and ascending passages. 

“Halfmoon Lake”
When composing this piece, I was imagining a boat on the lake. Lilting with the gentle ripples and flowing from chords outside of the key. This piece also ties back to “Sinking Waters” by portraying a sense of something dark and eerie beneath the water. 

“Big Falls”
The first thing I wanted to portray in the piece was water cascading over the rocks that slowly gets more intense. As it builds, it expands into bigger arpeggios to represent bigger waves that overflow and flood throughout. Then the piece suddenly drops down to a much calmer place. This represents what Miller and I referred to as “Frog Island” as when we initially explored the area, there was a small island amid the river. There, we found lots of tiny frogs in the calm island sanctuary. This piece also contains subtle aspects from all the other pieces in the album.

Halfmoon Lake Nature Audio

Mount Simon

Mount Simon Nature Audio

Putnam Rock

Skipping Rocks

Y A K I

Related tracks