In the Gallery: Lake Series: Photographs by Lincoln Schatz

Tag: arts integration

The latest news from Brushwood’s ensemble-in-residence

Black Moon Trio

Convergence. Water(color) for the Soul. Brushwood Center’s Ensemble-in-Residence, Black Moon Trio is a vital partner in some of our most popular programming.

Black Moon Trio is a horn, violin, and piano ensemble redefining the chamber music experience through adventurous programming, community-centered education, and a commitment to equity in the arts. By engaging with diverse audiences, youth, and artists of every type, Black Moon Trio works to prove that classical music is for everyone.

Parker Nelson is the French horn player for Black Moon Trio, and the Director of Public Programs and Music at Brushwood Center. “Convergence offered a really unique opportunity for me flex the artistic side of what Brushwood’s mission is: to do work at the intersection of wellness, the arts and nature,” he says. He thinks this integration of the arts into health equity work is ” Kind of our special sauce, this unique combination of things that we’re able to provide here at Brushwood Center. Because of the staff that we have and because of the connections that we have, we’re able to tell these really unique stories and kind of get to this type of storytelling that only Brushwood Center can provide.”

Black Moon Trio plays at Brushwood Center

October is a busy month for the Trio. They are preparing to launch their latest album, Flourish, a collaboration featuring author Robin Wall Kimmerer, inspired by her writings. Influenced by Kimmerer’s work as a scientist and Indigenous knowledge keeper, Flourish embraces nature not as something to be conquered or consumed, but as a living, breathing partner, whose wisdom is available to those who take the time to listen. Kimmerer’s insights, expressed through her reflective and poetic voice, guide listeners to see the land as a giver: one that offers more than sustenance, but also lessons of gratitude, respect, and care. The album will be released on October 17, 2025.

Black Moon Trio will perform Convergence: Health Equity in a Changing Climate at the Ear Taxi Festival in Chicago on October 8th at Elastic Arts.

The Trio has also launched a For Your Consideration campaign for this year’s GRAMMY Awards®, for their album, Principal. Here at Brushwood, we’re cheering them on!

For Your Grammy Award Consideration Black Moon Trio Principal

art in action

Convergence in the Community

On June 28, 2024, Gorton Center in Lake Forest hummed with conversation and rang with applause as audiences experienced Convergence for the first time. Brushwood Center debuted the world premiere performance of music and art inspired by the findings of our recent report Health, Equity, and Nature: A Changing Climate in Lake County, Illinois, that links access to clean air, water, and nature to healthier lives. 

Convergence Health Equity in a Changing Climate

Convergence: Health Equity in a Changing Climate, is a bilingual (English and Spanish) performance, guided by Brushwood Center’s Ensemble-in-Residence, Black Moon Trio. It translates the lived experiences of communities in Lake County, Illinois, affected by environmental racism and health inequities through original music, illustration, and storytelling.

This signature concert experience features live music performed by Black Moon Trio  (Parker Nelson, Jeremy Vigil, and Khelsey Zarraga), including two commissioned compositions from composers Marc Mellits and Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. Visually, it includes original artworks from five artists from across the country: Natashna Anderson, Kelley Clink, Laura Horan, Lakosh, and Naimah Thomas. The live performance is complemented by filmed narration in English and Spanish.  

Since 2024, Convergence has quickly become a conversation-starter in communities in the region. Audiences in Waukegan saw a performance in August 2024. In the winter and spring of 2025, Convergence was condensed into a shorter program for educational and community settings. It connects students to the important data of health equity through art, while promoting social and emotional learning, and music and art literacy skills. 

“Some of my favorite responses that I’ve gotten from audiences are things like the music program that we visited in North Chicago, where the program had grown from about five students to over 150. The students were just really excited to have real live musicians in their school, something that they had never dealt with before, something that they have never experienced before. Just having a chance to connect with these young musicians and talk a little bit more about how they can use their artistic talent to make change in their community was something that was really, really special,” says Parker Nelson, Director of Public Programs and Music at Brushwood Center.

“Brushwood Center is working with our artistic and community partners to make this data as accessible as possible,” says Catherine Game, Executive Director of Brushwood Center. “As an organization committed to improving health equity through community, nature, and the arts, we also know that art is a powerful tool for social change. By translating the research of the report into a multi-disciplinary performance, we hope to mobilize even more people and communities in this movement for a healthy and just future.”

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