Music, Green Space and Burial Grounds

Sound & Memory Awarded the NYSCA Artist Commissioning Grant

How would you feel experiencing live music in a cemetery?

Not as part of a funeral but as part of a musical offering to enjoy and experience the space. A chance to contemplate one’s mortality in community with others and appreciate the vibrant life that thrives in the green space of burial grounds. 🌳 🪦

Sound & Memory is excited to announce that we were awarded the New York State Council on the Arts Grant to produce live musical offerings in cemeteries around New York State! These programs will feature original music written by founder Concetta Abbate.

I first conceived this idea during the COVID pandemic lockdowns as I traversed the local cemeteries in Queens, NYC on my daily walks. Being immersed in both nature and local history proved to be both therapeutic and a source of inspiration for writing music. I began composing TREEHOUSE, considering our ecological connection to soil through death and decomposition.

I deepened my research on eco-burial practices through a summer residency with the Urban Soils Institute on Governor’s Island, NYC. It was revelatory to have time to expand on a vibrant music composition incorporating orchestral instruments such as woodwinds and strings.

To stay informed on future offerings of how we will use our NYSCA grant to bring music and death positivity to our local communities keep an eye out for this newsletter and follow us on Instagram.

To contribute a Tax Deductible Donation this Giving Tuesday and continue to support the work of Sound & Memory visit our website.

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