THE PIECE
This was water is about the drying of the Great Salt Lake and the environmental disasters that will follow if mitigating actions are not taken. Scientists have been warning of the ecological impact that the drying of the Lake would bring, but awareness has sadly not led to widespread change. To bridge the gap between science and everyday people, emotions must be stirred, and, as we know, art is a perfect vehicle for such a task.
The Great Salt Lake is a unique, complex, and surprisingly delicate ecosystem. Some of its animals are transients, some can lie dormant for years, and some are predators, but the ones really threating it all are us, the humans. The singular physical and geological environment of the lake plays into some of our worst habits: taking without replenishing, using without regard for consequence, and an overall disinterest in the tiny things upon which the colossal rely.
Each of the piece’s sixteen movements is a meditation on a particular aspect of the lake: a vignette of either its past, present, or future. Some movements are more mimetic than others, and none except for the final movement are narrative. That final movement, “Arsenic”, remixes David Foster Wallace’s goldfish parable to imagine a future in which there has been no water left in the lake for generations. In that future, all that remains of our formerly fascinating and beautiful lake is a dried-up bed and poisonous arsenic dust storms.
THE PERFORMERS
Courtney Majors, violin
Courtney Majors is a classically trained violinist from Salt Lake City, Utah. With nearly two decades dedicated to perfecting her craft, she strives to bend the rules of music to create a unique and unforgettable listening experience. She has studied Violin Performance at BYU-Idaho as well as Weber State University. When Courtney isn't performing, you can find her writing music and teaching elementary orchestra.
Daniel Pack, cello
Dan Pack’s love of the performing arts truly shines through his eclectic artistic experience. He has participated as a musician, actor, technician, educator, and arts administrator. Dan has taught music in classroom and private settings for over ten years. He received formal musical training at Weber State University where he studied cello with Dr. Viktor Uzur. He worked as a technical director of The Ziegfeld Theater, an Enactor for the Natural History Museum of Utah, the Executive director for NEXT Ensemble, and he currently teaches cello, violin, and viola for The Piano Place. Dan enjoys any opportunity to create something, and he loves the way the arts strengthen the community through special shared experiences.
Susan Campbell, flute/piccolo/alto flute
Originally from the Upper Midwest, Susan Campbell is a versatile flutist and dedicated arts administrator now based in Ogden, Utah. Over the years, Susan has been an active soloist, chamber musician, orchestral flutist, and teacher. She is principal flute for Chamber Orchestra Ogden and regularly performs as a member of NEXT Ensemble. Susan has also performed with the New American Philharmonic, the Grand Symphonic Winds, the El Paso Wind Symphony, and the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. She has also served as a flutist in the US Army Band at Fort Bliss.
Susan is the Community Investment and Development Manager for the Salt Lake City Arts Council, where she oversees the distribution of the City Arts Grants Program and secures funding to support the organization's mission.
Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of St. Thomas, a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from the University of Minnesota, and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from Southern Utah University. Her principal teachers have included Adele Lorraine, Immanuel Davis, Jane Garvin, Hanoch Tel-Oren, and Melissa Colgin-Abeln.
Cindy Child, clarinet/bass clarinet
Cindy Child serves as Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at Weber State University and Director of Bands at Venture Academy. Cindy has held prior teaching positions at the Interlochen Arts Camp, Brigham Young University and Woodland School. She is currently principal clarinet of Chamber Orchestra Ogden and a member of the Orchestra at Temple Square. She also performs in Northern Utah with the NEXT Ensemble and Utah Festival Opera. Cindy has performed as a freelance clarinetist with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra, Encore Winds, Utah Symphony, Ballet West, Utah Chamber Artists and the American Festival Chorus. Cindy holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in clarinet performance from Arizona State University. Cindy and her husband have four children, two beagles and enjoy living in North Ogden. In her spare time, Cindy enjoys hiking, reading, and family vacations in America’s beautiful national parks.
THE VIDEO ARTIST
Kellie Bornhoft (she/her) utilizes sculpture, installation, and video to delve into the whelms of our precarious times. Scientific data and news headlines do plenty to evince the state of our warming planet, but the abject realities of such facts are hard to possess. Bornhoft seeks tangible and poetic narratives needed in an ever-warming climate. Through geological and more-than-human lenses, Bornhoft sifts through shallow dichotomies (such as natural/unnatural, here/there, or animate/inanimate.) Bornhoft is an Assistant Professor/Coordinator of Foundations at Weber State University. She holds a MFA in Sculpture + Expanded Media from Ohio State University and a BFA from Watkins College of Art and Design. Bornhoft’s work has been exhibited internationally in museums, galleries, and film festivals, such as the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, North Carolina, Kulturanker in Magdeburg, Germany, and the Athens International Film and Video Festival. Bornhoft’s work has been reviewed in many publications, including Frieze Magazine, Southwest Contemporary, and Burnaway. Find out more at http://www.kelliebornhoft.com.
THE COMPOSER
Carey Campbell (he/him) is an electroacoustic music performer, composer, and improviser. His works tend to explore themes of deformation, decay, and destruction as a way of appreciating the accumulation and erosion of layers which make up our physical and psychological present. Carey’s works and improvisations have been heard at the Australasian Computer Music Festival, the Vu Symposium, the Osaka Audio Rocket Festival, SEAMUS, and the New Music Gathering. Carey has composed music for theatre and dance productions at Weber State University, where he is a Professor of Music, and has recently collaborated with visual artists and projectionists. He is originally from Virginia and received a PhD in Musicology from the University of Minnesota. Find out more at https://careycampbell.info
GRATITUDE
We are grateful to the following for making this work possible:
The Lindquist Creative Fellowship
Deborah Uman and the Dean's Office of the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities