Andromeda Turre—When Glaciers Cry: 

Climate action and Jazz’s Eco-Spiritual Legacies

In December 2022, vocalist and composer Andromeda Turre found herself inside a glacier cave in Iceland. “I felt the glacier was sad,” she recalls, “as if it had seen all the dinosaurs go extinct and now it was facing the same fate.” With her immersive jazz suite, From the Earth, Turre highlights environmental justice and the interconnectedness of humanity and the Earth, taking listeners on a journey through four concertos—Earth, Sky, Sea, and Ice—to explore the impact of climate change on communities across North America. Based on extensive research, the suite intricately weaves sound samples of interviews with community members and environmental activists. The music also reflects the daring and unbound artistry of Andromeda, who draws inspiration from her parents, musical luminaries Steve Turre and Akua Dixon. “Neither of my parents has ever been afraid to make a statement with their music or to do something different,” she says.

At the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Turre will perform with a trio of pianist ELEW, bassist Noah Garabedian, saxophonist Chelsea Baratz, and drummer Orion Turre. After the music, she and series curator, journalist Larry Blumenfeld, will be joined by ethnomusicologist Mark Lomanno and Raya Salter, Founder and Executive Director of the Energy Justice Law & Policy Center for a discussion of climate action, eco-spiritual legacies and the connections between art and environment.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Andromeda Turre is a vocalist and composer from New York City. Raised within the legacy of jazz’s foremost voices—immersed in the presence of legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Ray Charles and Wynton Marsalis—Turre absorbed invaluable insights into jazz’s artistry and legacy, observing their mastery firsthand. As the daughter of trombonist Steve Turre and cellist Akua Dixon, this lineage does more than inform her artistry; it offers a foundation from which she redefines boundaries, bridging heritage with innovation. Educated at Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, Turre bridges classical, contemporary, and theatrical frameworks into jazz, creating a voice uniquely her own.

Her latest project, From the Earth, is a programmatic jazz suite addressing environmental justice and amplifying humanity’s deep connection to the planet. Supported by the 2023 Jazz Road Creative Residencies Grant from SouthArts, funded by Doris Duke and Andrew W. Mellon Foundations, as well as a 2024 Support for Artists Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, From the Earth exemplifies Turre’s vision to use music as a vehicle for empathy, awareness, and social transformation.

Turre has performed across 17 countries, captivating audiences with her powerful, emotionally resonant performances. She is also an accomplished composer for film, television, video games, and theater. In addition to her artistic achievements, Turre is a Cornell University-certified Diversity & Inclusion consultant, working with arts organizations, schools, and municipalities since 2007. She fosters dialogue and cross-cultural understanding through the arts.

Among her honors, Turre received the 2024 Arts Award for Advancing Equity from Arts Westchester and was named a 2022 Woman of Distinction by State Representative Chris Burdick and NY State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

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