Metzner to share "Magic of Sound"

Sound documentarian Jim Metzner, host of Pulse of the Planet, will be the second keynote speaker in Skidmore’s inaugural Storytellers Institute, scheduled through July 2 and sponsored by the John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS) at Skidmore. 

Metzner will be in campus June 15 and 16 for special events that focus on hearing a new world. Admission to both is free and open to the public.

Metzner’s “Magic of Sound” gets under way at 7 p.m. Monday, June 15, in Filene Recital Hall. Known as the voice of Pulse of the Planet, a syndicated public radio program, Metzner has for 40 years searched for and shared sounds that enlighten, inform, and celebrate life. Using examples from his recordings, radio series, and longer format work, Metzner will demonstrate how he continues to explore the soundscape. He will explain how sounds can convey a sense of a place, an activity, a mood, a person, or a family.  (For more information on Metzner and his work, please visit this web site.) 

On Tuesday morning, June 16, early risers are invited to join Metzner at 6:45 a.m. on a sound walk in Skidmore’s North Woods. Monica Raveret Richter, associate professor of biology at Skidmore, will help lead the walk. After a brief introduction, participants will do some sound recording of their own (bring your smartphone!) and then discuss what they heard over lunch. Space is limited so email mdocs@skidmore.edu if you’d like to participate.

Jordana Dym of MDOCS said, "Master sound storyteller Jim Metzner knows how to tune our ears, hearts and minds to soundscapes that are all around us. From the crack of a bat to an umpire's cry of "You're out" to the sounds of a Brazilian village waking up in the morning, he captures and draws us in to the world of sound.  Jim is best known for his radio show, Pulse of the Planet, whose sound portraits of Planet Earth brings the world — natures, science, culture-- to life for the public. We are excited to learn more about hearing the world and sound storytelling with the Magic of Sound.”

Skidmore's Storytellers Institute is an academic-artistic summer program for the documentary arts in which invited professionals work alongside Skidmore faculty and students.