Conservation District's annual dinner to highlight nature's influence on music

Nature has always inspired artists.

This year, the Pike County Conservation District’s annual dinner will feature a performance and presentation exploring how nature has influenced composers and musicians.

Ryan Weber, Ph.D., will present “Art and Space, Art and Place: Creative Landscapes and Conservationism,” followed by a performance of the Black Bear Jazz Ensemble, led by Dieter Winterle on saxophone, with Robert Wilson on bass and Vince Marrone on guitar.

The dinner is scheduled for Oct. 25 in the Lakeview Dining Room at Woodloch Pines Resort. The event will include a social gathering (cash bar) from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by dinner and the presentation.

The event is a celebration of the natural resources of Pike County and the conservation work completed by Conservation District partners, its board of directors and staff. Tickets are $35 per person. RSVPs are requested by Oct. 18 to pikecd@pikepa.org or 570-226-8220.

Weber is executive director and founder of the Black Bear Conservatory of Music in Hawley, Pa. He is an associate professor of musicology and chairman of the Department of Fine Arts at Misericordia University. He is a musicologist specializing in 19th- and 20th-century Europe and America.

He received his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Connecticut and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Queens College, the City University of New York. His research interests include critical disability studies, eugenics, the sociology of music, music and literature, Scandinavian studies, transatlanticism, and cosmopolitanism.

Winterle studied music education at Ithaca College and jazz performance at New York University. He has been a band director, and he performs in small jazz combos, big bands and wind ensembles in and around New York City.

Visit the Events page at PikeConservation.org for more information or RSVP before Oct. 18 to pikecd@pikepa.org/ (570) 226-8220.