Music and Silk:

“Music and Silk: an Ancient Animal and a Shorebird’s Survival” is a new multimedia performance project that brings together chamber music and silk artworks to tell the intertwined stories of two extraordinary species: the horseshoe crab and the red knot.

These species, both in decline due to human activity, are connected through the Great Marsh, one of the most fragile and biodiverse ecosystems on the East Coast. The performance will unfold as a 30-minute concert experience featuring historical instruments, silk paintings projected on a screen, and narration, designed to immerse audiences in a tale of ecological interdependence. 

Through this project, we aim to highlight the urgent environmental threats facing these species, including habitat loss, climate change, overharvesting for pharmaceutical uses, and bait harvesting. The score, arranged by Thomas Carroll for Arpeggione Ensemble, traverses musical eras to mirror the vast evolutionary timeline of the horseshoe crab and the rapid, vulnerable migratory patterns of the red knot. Silk paintings by Susan Quateman evoke the beauty, fragility, and complexity of the marsh and coastal ecosystems. 

This interdisciplinary work builds on the success of past collaborations between Arpeggione Ensemble and environmental artist Susan Quateman, including the acclaimed operetta “Shoebert’s Unfinished Journey”. Music and Silk will premiere in 2026 with support from Essex County Greenbelt Association, Artists for the Great Marsh, the NOAA, Ipswich Cultural Council, and individual supporters.