For composer John Luther Adams, music is a lifelong search for home -- an invitation to slow down, reflect, and rediscover our place in the natural world. Deeply inspired by his experiences in the Alaskan wilderness, Adams has spent his career creating soundscapes that connect us to the environment in profound ways, including his Pulitzer Prize-winning Become Ocean. The Charlotte Symphony will perform this groundbreaking work with immersive 360-degree audio and custom lighting design at Blume Studios on February 28 and March 1, 2025.

Adams spent nearly 40 years living in northern Alaska. Immersed in the stark beauty of the Arctic, he discovered a musical voice grounded in space, stillness, and the elemental forces of nature. Adams worked full-time as an environmental activist before devoting himself completely to composition as a way to spark change, believing music could move people in ways that politics could not.

"If we can imagine a culture and a society in which we each feel more deeply responsible for our own place in the world, then we just may be able to bring that culture and that society into being."

This deep concern for the earth and humanity's future runs through all of Adams's works, particularly Become Ocean. Inspired by the ocean's vast, mysterious power and the ecological challenges of rising sea levels, the piece unfolds like waves, rising and falling, enveloping listeners in a soundscape that mirrors the ocean. But it's more than a reflection on nature -- it's a reminder of the fragile balance we must protect.

"Life on Earth first emerged from the sea. And as the polar ice melts and sea levels rise, we humans find ourselves facing the prospect that once again we may literally become ocean."



The upcoming performances at Blume Studios take this concept to another level. 360° spatial audio and custom light projections will surround the audience with sound and images. It's an innovative approach that aligns perfectly with Adams's vision of making music that is not just about nature, but that feels like nature itself.

"Although it begins in solitude, my work is completed in community. The music doesn't come fully to life until other people -- performing musicians, listeners, recording engineers, critics, and so many others -- receive it and make it their own."



Join the Charlotte Symphony on February 28 and March 1, 2025, at Blume Studios for Become Ocean.