“Rain”: The Music of Sierra Club Miami Group Member and Composer Kaleel Skeirik will premiere at the Midwest Sustainability Summit, Friday June 12, 2026, at the Sharonville Convention Center. Volunteers needed!
Recently, a surge of artistic works has emerged aimed at moving hearts and minds and motivating positive action on issues of ecological and social sustainability. Happily, in recent years, Cincinnati’s Green Umbrella has featured the sustainability-related works of local artists in their annual Midwest Sustainability Summit.
In addition to two other artistic performance pieces, the 2026 Summit will feature “Rain,” a new and innovative musical work by Kaleel Skeirik that illustrates the power of rain as a symbol of love and human connection. Set to text by poet William Carlos Williams, the work combines women’s vocal quartet, marimbas and piano with performers who “make” rain with hand-body percussion, at times assisted by guided audience participation. Local conductor Michael Goist will direct the work and professional vocalist Ellen Graham will lead the quartet of women’s voices. Rain” evokes stewardship for the earth through appreciation of water’s power as the essential, life-giving force. The work is produced by Nautilus Compositions (Kaleel Skeirik and Nancy Bertaux, both active in local environmental affairs).
Would you like to join the performance? Professor Skeirik is seeking: a marimba player, a pianist, and 16 volunteers with vocal, choral or instrumental experience to be part of the “body percussion chorus” (simple hand-body movements such as tapping fingers, knees, etc. Performers will require availability late afternoons of Thursday, June 11 (tech/dress rehearsal) and Friday, June 12 (run-through and performance), with one other TBA rehearsal possible. There will of course be no charge for volunteers to attend the performance, and Green Umbrella is also offering volunteers all-day attendance at the Summit for a reduced price ($50 vs regular price of $215).
Contact Professor Skeirik at [email protected] if interested.
