Immersive Forest 2027 Fundraising Drive
Looking forward to our 2027 season, Make Music New York is thrilled to partner with our longtime artistic contributor, British composer Pete M. Wyer, on an ambitious new mobile choral procession to be presented next autumn from the streets of NYC. Pete’s groundbreaking choral programs include The Forest Within, which was experienced by more than 500,000 people in New York and Los Angeles; Street Motets for NYC, which premiered with Make Music Winter 2024 and was reprised as part of our summer solstice music holiday; and most recently, Natural World, created in honor of Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, which reached over 100 million people.
The concept is ambitious, and like much of Pete’s work, it is inspired by a fundamental question: can music and technology bring people together to create a kinder, more connected world. Imagine hundreds of singers gathering in small groups across adjacent NYC neighborhoods utilizing a simple smartphone amp to begin singing a vocal composition at the same moment. Then imagine these groups traversing the streets and parklands of the city in routes that eventually coalesce into a grand choir for a dramatic communal finale resonant with joy, creativity and hope.
The work’s libretto comes from the Buddhist Metta Sutta, an ancient meditation on kindness, health and happiness. It is an inspiring wish for wellbeing, offered first to ourselves and then shared with fellow singers and spectators.
If you share Pete’s appetite for artistic experiences that are exceptional, participatory, and socially meaningful, please consider making a donation to support the creation and implementation of i-Forest 2027. Just click on the Donate button below, which will take you to Make Music’s portal to contribute via credit, PayPal, Venmo or check. When making your online donation, please add the note “I-Forest” to help us track and acknowledge your tax-deductible gift appropriately.