Composer uses music to connect Latino heritage and environmental justice

CHICAGO — Climate change is often measured through scientific reports and statistics. For Chicago-based composer Chris Oquist, it is something audiences can hear.

On Saturday, Oquist performed “Derivas Liminares” as part of the Chicago Art Department’s fourth annual Contra Corriente Festival. The performance benefited the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization (PERRO), a nonprofit that advocates for environmental protections in Pilsen, one of Chicago’s largest Latino neighborhoods. Oquist’s performance was one of several events held during the festival, which centers on environmental and racial justice.

For “Derivas Liminares”, Oquist uses a process known as data sonification, converting atmospheric temperature data into sound. While scientists often use the technique to analyze patterns in data, he said he incorporates it into music to tell a story. The composition examines how gradual changes in the climate, society and personal relationships often go unnoticed until they reach a point of no return.

“I think that we’re really not equipped to understand or recognize those long-changing processes the way we do things that we can experience directly,” Oquist said.

“But it’s really crucial that, if we have any hope of controlling the systems that we’ve created and being active participants in the world, that we have to look carefully and deeply and listen intentionally and mindfully.”

That same philosophy influenced Oquist’s decision to support PERRO.

According to Oquist, the organization has advocated against industrial pollution near Benito Juárez Community Academy in Pilsen. He said the group’s work reflects environmental challenges that continue to affect many Latino communities and gives residents a voice in seeking cleaner air and stronger environmental protections.

“There’s super systemic imbalances that make equity harder to pursue,” Oquist said. “I just love that there’s an organization like PERRO that’s working on the ground against crazy odds to try and right some of these wrongs and protect people.”

Environmental justice is only one theme in Oquist’s work.

Born in Puerto Rico to a Colombian mother, he said stories of migration and sacrifice shaped his artistic perspective from an early age. His debut EP, CYCLES / 01, includes a composition inspired by his late grandmother, whose journey from Colombia to Puerto Rico became the foundation for a piece exploring memory across generations. He said those family experiences continue to influence the questions he asks through music.

“My grandmother made a tremendous amount of sacrifices for her family,” Oquist said. “The stories that she would tell me, and that people would tell me of what she had gone through, almost felt like something out of magical realism.”

Oquist continued to say that perspective also shapes how he understands the role of music in Latino communities. He called music “an act of resistance,” saying it has long given artists a way to preserve culture while reclaiming humanity and dignity in the face of injustice.

Chicago-based composer uses music to connect Latino heritage and environmental justice was first published on Illinois Latino News and was republished with permission.

Angeles Ponpa is the Managing Editor of Latino News Network Midwest, overseeing Illinois Latino News, Wisconsin Latino News, and Michigan Latino News. She is based in Illinois.