Iowa Arts Council gives major grant to Luther music professor

The Iowa Arts Council has awarded a $4,800 major grant to Luther College associate professor of music Brooke Joyce.  The money will be used for an outdoor sound installation at Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah.

In May Iowans of all ages will be invited to travel to Seed Savers Exchange to experience an outdoor sound installation, "Talking Trees," in which the sounds of nature mingle with music created by composers Brooke Joyce and University of California-San Diego composer-in residence Harvey Sollberger.

The project will provide a walk through the forest that mixes composed music with the natural sounds like rushing water and birds chirping. The type of music and sounds being played will vary according to the time of day and atmospheric conditions.

There will be four or five canopies placed along a trail at Seed Savers Exchange, each equipped with a solar panel and four speakers. Joyce and Sollberger plan to power these canopies with solar and battery energy.