Listening to the moors: Land creates sound

The early morning mist still hangs over the moor. Sound artist Kurt Holzkämper wears headphones and listens to a rustling, gurgling, and knocking—deep, muffled, rhythmic sounds that almost resemble a heartbeat. The microphones are sunk several meters deep into the ground of the Great Moor near Wietzendorf in the Lüneburg Heath. "Moors have something mystical about them. But what we often underestimate is that landscapes have their own sound,“ says Potsdam-based environmental scientist Prof. Dr. Hubert Wiggering. Together with students from Leuphana University, the artist collective MONAS collective for environmental art collected natural sounds in the moor.

Hamburg-based composer Dominic Wills processed these recordings and used them to develop the choral composition ”cantata for an ecosystem." He drew inspiration from a complementary seminar at Leuphana led by philosopher PD Dr. Steffi Hobuß. She emphasizes the transdisciplinary approach: “It is fascinating to observe how music is created from the sounds of nature – and what understanding of sound and composition the students develop in the process.” The students were both researchers and artistic catalysts: their impressions from the moor excursion gave rise to eight creative impulses – words, images, videos, or poems – which formed the starting point for the composition. The complementary seminar “Concerts as a transformative learning experience: a Leuphana Concert Lab seminar” led by Lea Jakob also contributed to the project.

Moors are valuable ecosystems that play a crucial role in climate and biodiversity. “They store enormous amounts of carbon in the soil, but only function when they are wet,” explains Hubert Wiggering. Since most of Germany's moors have been drained, releasing large amounts of CO₂, their protection and rewetting are particularly important today.

Tribute to the German National Academic Foundation

With this unusual sound project, Leuphana is also celebrating a special anniversary: the Leuphana Chamber Choir, conducted by music director Rebecca Lang, is presenting the choral work on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the SdV. Throughout 2025, the Studienstiftung, together with universities, has celebrated its successful century of promoting academic talent that also demonstrates a strong social commitment in a variety of formats. In addition to the events already held on campus throughout the year, Leuphana would like to thank the SdV for its support of its numerous scholarship holders at the end of December.

Using the cantata to spark discourse

Nature recordings from the moor will merge with a contemporary new composition on the evening: “We have experienced a unique creative process, and I am very excited to present the result together with our singers,” explains Rebecca Lang.

College student Mathis Schräder, tenor in the chamber choir, provides insights into the rehearsal work: “For me, it's something special to address such an important topic musically and draw attention to it. The primary goal of the cantata is not to sound beautiful, but to create impressions and spark discourse.”

The event begins with the keynote address “Echoes of the Anthropocene,” given by Pedro J. S. Vieira de Oliveira, former fellow of the Leuphana Institute of Advanced Studies. Kurt Holzkämper and Hubert Wiggering will then introduce the project “Land schafft Klang” (Land Creates Sound). The performance of the cantata will be followed by a discussion entitled “The Acoustics of Moors and Social Transformation” – with Leuphana ecologist Prof. Dr. Vicky Temperton, among others.