ABOUT A PASSION FOR THE PLANET
Geoffrey Hudson’s A Passion for the Planet is an hour-long oratorio on the subject of climate change. Blending scientific prose, poetry, and sacred texts from many faiths, the libretto traces an arc from beauty and gratitude into darkness and out again into hope.
A Passion for the Planet is scored for chorus of mixed voices, children’s chorus, soprano and baritone soloists, and instrumental ensemble (12 players). There are eleven movements; in the finale, performers and audience members join together to sing a simple chorale tune.
Tony Thornton conducted the 2019 premiere of A Passion for the Planet with Illumine Vocal Arts Ensemble, the Hampshire Young People’s Chorus, and soloists Dashon Burton and Alisa Pearson. Videos of the premiere have more than 3,700 views on Youtube. After a Covid-enforced hiatus, live performances resumed in 2023, when Chris Shepard led CONCORA in a Hartford, CT performance. In 2024, Matthew Mehaffey and the Oratorio Society of Minnesota presented two performances of the Passion in Minneapolis. Upcoming seasons include scheduled performances in Portland, ME and Worcester, MA.
Stay tuned for an upcoming New England tour in the Fall of 2026 with CONCORA, under the baton of Artistic Director, Chris Shepard.
Studio Recording of A Passion for the Planet
Concert Trailer for A Passion for the Planet
More about A Passion for the Planet, featuring interviews with Geoffrey Hudson, the composer, and singers.
Writings About A Passion for the Planet
Dr. Lisa Ruch’s essay “A Passion for the Planet: Raising Environmental Consciousness through the Melding of Music and Science,” published in the journal OTH, highlights Hudson’s ability to inspire an emotional response to the climate crisis by using art to express hard scientific data.
In “Music of This Sphere,” Sarah Metcalf describes the premiere of Passion for the Planet as the single most stirring choral experience of her life. Posted on Choral Planet, a space for celebrating the profound impact of choral music.
Why an oratorio about the climate crisis?
(a few words from the composer…)
Faced with a planetary crisis, we’re failing to respond. If science can’t get the message across, perhaps music can.
In 2017, I read an article that said that even if we understand climate change on an intellectual level, we’re not going to truly engage with it until we feel it on an emotional level. And that made a lightbulb go on for me: music excels at building emotional connections.
Perhaps music can help dissolve the paralysis many people feel when they confront this topic.
And so, I set out to write an oratorio about climate change. A Passion for the Planet begins by celebrating the natural wonders of our planet. In the middle movements, we journey into the dark realities of climate change, including a musical depiction of the infamous “hockey stick” graphs. The eighth movement (“The Question”) is a turning point. From there, the music gradually turns towards hope, inspired by the words of David Orr, “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.” In the end, we all join together to sing a simple chorale tune.
Singing and listening to music won’t make the climate crisis go away. But perhaps, by forming an emotional connection with the topic, it can help us confront the stark realities. And when we see those realities—and truly take them in—maybe then, together, nourished by hope, we can work together to find a way forward.”
– Geoffrey Hudson
Praise for A Passion for the Planet
“an extraordinary happening – I’ve not seen the likes of this event in all my years doing music.”
“Incredible. May it spread and spark many others.”
“What an amazing evening! Deeply moving — in so many ways… not least because it helped make the emotional and intellectual connection, time after time.”
“…last night’s performance was one of the most moving concert experiences of my life. When it came time for the audience to join in, I found it hard to sing, I was so overwhelmed—and looking around I realized that many audience members were in the same boat.”
“I do not think I have ever been more deeply moved by anything than I was at the premiere.”
“What a powerful and beautiful evening of music! It was magic, beauty, urgency and hope. It was music, protest, compassion and love.”
“I was amazed by the fierce and gentle passion delivered by this piece… it’s so rare that I hear a piece that speaks to me so deeply emotionally and intellectually… The piece needs to get out and be experienced (“heard” is not enough).”
“So moving and alive. I wept. Sorrowed. Delighted. Gave thanks. Wonderful in every way.”
“Such depth and richness—everyone I’ve spoken with was blown away.”
