Logo image
A Conductor's Analysis: An Ecomusicological Perspective on Christopher Tin's "The Lost Birds"
 

A Conductor's Analysis: An Ecomusicological Perspective on Christopher Tin's "The Lost Birds"

Samuel Wil Sherman
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), University of Miami
2026-04
Conductor Analysis Ecomusicology Score Study Choral Conducting
Christopher Tin’s "The Lost Birds" (2022) is examined through a conductor-centered analytical framework informed by ecomusicological principles. This study investigates how the integration of three ecomusicological perspectives, ecological memorialization, human-nonhuman relationships, and environmental crisis discourse, expands traditional approaches to score study and interpretive analysis. While conventional study emphasizes harmonic language, form, and text setting, this doctoral essay argues that "The Lost Birds" provides the opportunity for an interdisciplinary practice. Drawing upon the scores, composer commentary, and ecomusicological scholarship, selected movements are provided as primary sites of ecological expression. Findings demonstrate that Tin’s compositional strategies engage themes of extinction, memory, and environmental transformation. Through this lens, the conductor emerges as a critical interpretive body, shaping how ecological narratives are communicated in score study analysis. Contributions from this essay seek to expand conductor-centered analytical practices and advance interdisciplinary approaches within choral and ecomusicological scholarship.

(1)

pdf
sws87Sp263.63 MB
Open Access
4
Logo image