Sounds of the Pantanal

At the end of September and beginning of October, I was honored to travel to the Brazilian region of the Pantanal through the invitation and initiation of cellist and researcher William Teixeira to participate in several days of field recordings, sound walks, and immersion in the Pantanal. The Pantanal is the worlds largest wetland area, and serves a vital role in the local and global ecosystems. The experience of being in this incredible place was enriching, informative, meditative, and challenging.

The project is spearheaded by William Teixeira, who is a professor at the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) in Campo Grande. My travel to Brazil is the first step in a collaborative project which centers on the vibrant sounds of the Pantanal, and will culminate in a new multimedia work to be premiered by Ensemble Cerrado in Campo Grande in the summer of 2024.

We spent a few days in Campo Grande before embarking to the UFMS research base along the Miranda River, and William performed a concert of works for solo cello and electronics on September 28, including my piece contaminant composed earlier this year in collaboration with William. From Monday until Thursday evening a team of artists and scholars organized by William accumulated field recordings of the unique ecosystems of the Pantanal. On Wednesday, October 4 we additionally made contact with the Terena community indigenous to the area, learning from them about their ways of life, understanding, and connection to each other and to the land.

We woke at 4 each morning to record at sunrise — the most breathtaking breaking of sunlight into day I’ve ever seen.

I am eager to utilize my recordings, videos, and experiences to inform my new work for Ensemble Cerrado that celebrates the ecological diversity of the Pantanal region.

From left: Victor Arul, myself, Hans Tutschku, William Teixeira