SRI2025 Special Screening:

The Way of the Rain - Hope for Earth - A Symphony for our Planet

Join us for a special evening of music, spoken word, dance, film, visual art, and environmental science as SRI2025 partners with “The Way of the Rain“ team to bring the multidisciplinary screening to Chicago.

The event is open to the public and there is no cost to attend.

The Way of the Rain - Hope for Earth - A Symphony for our Planet

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk

SRI2025 Main Stage, Ballroom Level 4

301 E. North Water Street, Chicago, Illinois

Reserve your seat

Program:

7:30 pm Doors open

7:45 pm Movie introduction

8:00 pm Screening of “The Way of the Rain”

9:00 pm Discussion and Audience Q&A moderated by Andrea Darlas

Panelists: Gail Sturm, Chair & Gregory Leon Baird, Managing Director, The Way of the Rain; Don Wuebbles, Emeritus Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist Emeritus, WGN

The Way of the Rain was inspired by the annual monsoon rains that sustain life on the fragile landscape of the high desert plateaus of the Southwest. This live multidisciplinary performance, narrated by actor and environmental activist Robert Redford, invites the audience to remember their physical and spiritual connection to our planet's beauty and plight through paintings, music, dance, film, light and spoken word. Conceived by environmental-artist Sibylle Szaggars Redford to explore the issue of climate change resulting in rapidly changing weather patterns, Sibylle Redford collaborates with world renowned artists to create a piece that illustrates crucial environmental dilemmas through performance art.

Earth Day 2025 - The Way of the Rain

Earth Day

2025 April 22

The Way of the Rain - Reflections on Earth

Artistic Director - The Way of the Rain | Sibylle Szaggars Redford Music by Tim Janis
With spoken word by Robert Redford
Concept Direction by Sibylle Szaggars Redford
Select footage from the films "Mother Earth" & "Arrival of Rain" courtesy of Floyd Thomas McBee
Production/editing by Nathan Avina

The Way of the Rain - Hope for Earth - A Symphony for our Planet

To purchase tickets to the event, please visit the Festival del Sole website

The Way of the Rain - Hope for Earth

On Saturday, October 22, 2022 EarthX Film and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra presented the U.S. Premiere of The Way of the Rain – Hope for Earth, a multidisciplinary performance created for orchestra, chorus, film, art, and in-person spoken word narration by Academy Award winner- Robert Redford.

Sibylle Szaggars Redford

Robert Redford

Tim Janis

Floyd Thomas McBee

READ MORE www.keranews.org

THE WAY OF THE RAIN was inspired by the annual monsoon rains that sustain life on the fragile landscape of the high - desert plateaus of the Southwest. This live multidisciplinary performance invites the audience to remember their physical and spiritual connection to our planets beauty and plight through paintings, music, dance, film, light and spoken word. Conceived by environmental artist Sibylle Szaggars Redford to explore the issue of climate change resulting in rapidly changing weather patterns, Sibylle Redford collaborates with world renowned artists to create a piece that illustrates crucial environmental dilemmas through performance art.

THE WAY OF THE RAIN, INC. A NEW MEXICO NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION

In November of 2015 Sibylle Szaggars Redford founded The Way of the Rain Non Profit Organization, which is organized exclusively for charitable, cultural and educational purposes, including the specific purpose of developing, producing and performing educational and artistic performances themed and designed to promote public awareness and support for the protection of our Earth.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Founder, President & Artistic Director Sibylle Szaggars Redford

Vice President Robert Redford

Board Chair A Gail Sturm

Treasurer Ian Calderon

Secretary Melanie Rummel

ADVISORY BOARD:

Robert Singer | William Sturm | Danny Whetstone

Managing Director & Production Coordinator Gregory Leon Baird

Bookkeeping Jolana Janisova

Social Media Nathan Avina

ARTISTIC TEAM

SIBYLLE SZAGGARS REDFORD | ARTISITC DIRECTOR | FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT

Sibylle Szaggars Redford is a German born multimedia environmental artist whose artwork has been exhibited throughout Europe, Monaco, Peru, Singapore, Japan, Suriname and the United States.

Szaggars Redford is the 2016 recipient of the US State Department’s Art in Embassies Program for the US Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname where after visiting the countries Rain Forests and Indigenous Peoples, 10 of her site specific Pieces were placed on permanent display in the US Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Her artistry spans across mediums and decades, from painted oil sketches and photographs of her Moroccan travels, expressions on canvas from her American Indian Pueblo visits, large Oil paintings where she explores “The Shape of Color“ and her recent works of watercolor abstracts shaped by the monsoon rains of Santa Fe, New Mexico, California and abroad.

Having worked as an environmental artist for almost 4 decades, her desire is to create art that transcends words, languages, cultures and politics. Szaggars Redford creates art in order to speak to a deeper universal consciousness that’s connected to and dependent on the earth and its environments. In order to find a stronger voice through art for the Earth, Szaggars Redford entered the world of performance art as an homage to the universal elements and an artistic medium for environmentalism in action.

In 2013 Szaggars Redford in collaboration with Icelandic Composer and Musician David Thor Jonsson, designed a concept for a staged art performance piece “The Way of the Rain” which would incorporate different art forms; music, dance, film, light, spoken word and her first designed stage backdrop of multiple large “Rain Painting Silks” that would symbolize falling water from the heavens.

Since then Szaggars Redford has collaborated with various world renowned composers, choreographers and performers with presentations nationwide, The United Emirates of Abu Dhabi, the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall and the Opening Night of the 68th United Nations - NGO - International Conference.

In 2015 Szaggars Redford founded The Way of the Rain, Inc. a Non for Profit Organization with the specific purpose of developing, producing and performing educational and artistic performances - themed and designed to promote public awareness to support the protection of our Earth.

In addition to presenting “The Way of the Rain” performances and developing new staged versions of “The Way of the Rain” Szaggars Redford continues to create and exhibit new art.

Beginning of March 2020 during the time of the Covid - 19 lockdown and isolation, Szaggars Redford in collaboration with Composer Tim Janis and environmental activist Robert Redford began creating “The Way of the Rain - Reflections on Earth” video series shorts - a Gift of Hope to the World and an invitation to reflect on the beauty and wonders of our Planet Earth.

“The Way of the Rain - Reflections on Earth” Ocean video series shorts have been screened around the world at the “Virtual“ Earth X Conference - April 22-27, 2020, the United Nations Oceans Day “Virtual” Earth X Oceans and National Geographic Conference - June 9-10, 2020, Earth X Australia / Oceana Conference - June 11, 2020 and the United Nations “Peace Boat” Conference on June 12, 2020.

“The Way of the Rain – Reflections on Earth” video series shorts continue to focus on the World’s Natural Environments; their delicate Ecosystems and Biodiversity which are important and necessary to maintain in order to preserve the existence of all life on Earth.

For more information: www.sibylleszaggarsredford.com

GREGORY LEON BAIRD |MANAGING DIRECTOR & PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Managing Director of The Way of the Rain, Inc. (TWOTR) and Production Coordinator for all live TWOTR performances since the 2013 inception of The Way of the Rain – Albuquerque to the present, including The United Emirates of Abu Dhabi, the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall and the Opening Night of the 68th United Nations - NGO - International Conference.

Gregory Leon Baird graduated with a BA of Architecture, was trained in the 18th Century Style French Ecole des Beaux-Arts Architectural Watercolor technique and previously practiced Residential and Interior Design. Utilizing this education and background Baird was Art Consultant to Sibylle Szaggars Redford from the first “Rain drops” of 2010 - 2018 organizing and managing Szaggars Redford Exhibitions and Baird continues today to collaborate with Szaggars Redford on TWOTR performance stage designs.

In 2015, Sibylle Szaggars Redford founded The Way of the Rain, Inc. a Non Profit Organization and Gregory Leon Baird became Managing Director of The Way of the Rain, Inc. Non Profit Organization which has a specific purpose of developing, producing and performing educational and artistic performances - themed and designed to promote public awareness to support the protection of our Earth.

As Managing Director of TWOTR, Baird also coordinated the placement of “The Way of the Rain - Reflections on Earth” Ocean video series shorts which have been screened around the world at the “Virtual“ Earth X Conference - April 22-27, 2020, the United Nations Oceans Day “Virtual” Earth X Oceans and National Geographic Conference - June 9-10, 2020, Earth X Australia / Oceana Conference - June 11, 2020 and the United Nations “Peace Boat” Conference on June 12, 2020.

FLOYD THOMAS MCBEE | FILM RESEARCH | EDITING AND ART PROJECTIONS

Floyd Thomas McBee is a film and projections artist who has been a contributor and collaborator for “The Way of the Rain” since the summer of 2010. Through his lifelong love of nature and under the guidance of Sibylle Szaggars Redford’s holistic artistic vision, he has helped to provide and shape aspects of the ever-evolving visual narrative; from camera work and digital storytelling to atmospheric projections, Mr. McBee has endeavored to be a seamless and harmonious part of the greater collaborative spirit of “The Way of the Rain.”

THE WAY OF THE RAIN COMPOSERS

With millions of albums sold, five national public television specials, and two No. 1 Billboard-charting CDs, composer, producer, and performer Tim Janis has worked with some of the top artists in the music and entertain-ment business—from Sir Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, Dick Van Dyke, Andre Previn, and Sarah McLachlan to George Clooney, Kate Winslet, Jane Seymour, Maya Angelou, Emanuel Ax, and James Earl Jones. Mr. Janis is committed to creat-ing music that can heal and promote peace on a global level. His music has traveled across the world, from presti-gious venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, to Africa, China, and Eastern Europe, and he has conducted Symphonie Fantastique with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra as guest of the U.S Ambassador Craig R. Stapleton. His music has also been per-formed and played by the the American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Snell; The London Symphony Orchestra; The New York Philharmonic, conducted by Kurt Mazur; The Hartford Symphony Orchestra; The Kansas City Orchestra; The Kwazulu Natal Philharmonic in Durban, Africa; and many others.

WILL CALHOUN | THE WAY OF THE RAIN VERSION # II | COMPOSER

Will Calhoun, Two time Grammy winning Drummer/Composer/Producer from the legendary Rock Band Living Colour, has composed, produced, and toured with Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, The Rolling Stones, Yasinn Bey aka MOS DEF, Lauryn Hill, Marcus Miller, Herb Alpert, Mike Stern, Public Enemy, Paul Simon, Stanley Jordan, Oumou Sangare, Jaron Lanier(virtual reality inventor) and many more. His unique approach to both acoustic and electronic drumming are simply unmatched by any other Percussionist on the scene today. He has recently broadened his artistic expression to film scores, photography, and a collection of Art work crafted from rhythm titled "AZA". You can visit his on line gallery at: www.willcalhounart.com stay tuned for his new Jazz project "Celebrating Elvin Jones" on Motema Music this summer.

Living Colour is presently in the studio recording their latest CD titled 'SHADE" for MEGAFORCE records. the release date is planned for the Fall of 2015. Will spends most of his limited down town time in West and North Africa researching ancient rhythms and musical styles. He is presently working on a recording with Indigenous sacred musicians. Will is a new breed of Ethnomusicologist, combining his ancestral research with many years of commercial success in Jazz, Rock, Urban, Alternative, Ambient, and other musics of the World into a beautiful swirling expression of life.

DAVE EGGAR | THE WAY OF THE RAIN VERSION # II | COMPOSER

Three-time Grammy nominee Dave Eggar has performed throughout the world as a solo cellist and pianist as well as a composer including featured solo appearances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Avery Fischer Hall and Chamber Music Society, The Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, London's Barbican Centre and Queen Elizabeth Halls, Paris’ Palais Garnier and many others.

A virtuoso in many styles, Eggar has performed, recorded and arranged for such artists as Coldplay, Norah Jones, Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, James Taylor, The Who, Harry Belafonte, Robert Redford, Evanescence, Phillip Phillips, Talib Kweli, Frank Ocean, David Sanborn, Joshua Bell and many others.

A graduate of Harvard University Summa Cum Laude in Biophysical Engineering and Music Composition, Eggar went on to get his MM and D.M.A. degrees at The Juilliard School. He has received grants and awards from the NEA, the Leonard Bernstein Scholarship, The MacDowell Colony, ASCAP and TIME Magazine. Eggar was the youngest winner in the history of Artists International Competition making his Carnegie Hall solo recital at the age of 13. A founding member of the famous FLUX Quartet, Dave has premiered over 100 works of contemporary music by composers as diverse as John Zorn, Frank Zappa, John Patitucci, Somei Satoh, Harry Partch, Morton Feldman, Conlon Nancarrow, Giacinto Scelsi, Charles Ives and Stewart Copeland.

Additionally, Eggar has worked extensively on the use of music in conflict resolution in war zones, including a project taking place over the last 9 years in the war-torn region of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Eggar lived and studied with the Talaandig tribe on many trips to the region studying their use of music and dance in negotiation and conflict. Eggar is an avid martial artist with black belts in Shotokan and Gōjū-ryū karate. www.facebook.com/daveeggar

CHUCK PALMER | THE WAY OF THE RAIN VERSION # II | COMPOSER

Percussionist, songwriter, producer, composer Chuck Palmer has performed and recorded with a myriad of artists including Gil Goldstein, RJD2, Frank Ocean, Zayn Malik, Luciano, Dr. Ralph Stanley, Norah Jones, John Patitucci, The City And Horses, Phillip Phillips, Cromeo, Waway Saway and the Talaandig Tribe, and Amy Lee of Evanescence.

Chuck was a core collaborator and producer on Amy Lee's first solo record Aftermath (2014). “Dark Water”, from that release, won an Independent Music Award for best World Beat Song (2015). Palmer co-produced Dave Eggar's Grammy-nominated release Kingston Morning and is a founding member of their group Deoro. "Jonan", a track from Dave Eggar's 2011 release Deoro: XX (produced by Chuck), won the Independent Music Award fan vote for best World Beat Song. Chuck is a composer on films including War Story (Sundance 2014), Destiny, Same Difference (Best Documentary at AFME 2015) and Indigo Grey.

Chuck's solo album Waiting On The Rain is available on iTunes. He is a native of Columbus, Ohio and a graduate of Capital University, where he majored in percussion under Robert Breithaupt and Eric Paton. chuckpalmermusic.com

DAVID THOR JONSSON | THE WAY OF THE RAIN VERSION # I | COMPOSER

Original Composer and Collaborator with Sibylle Szaggars Redford for the first The Way of the Rain Performance in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Pianist, composer, improviser,performing artist and a multitasking musician in life.
Currently living and working in Mosfellssveit, Iceland.
Davíd has been playing the piano and keyboards since age of 9 and ever since been making a career for himself as a musician.
He has collaborated with a whole spectrum of artist, from obscure troubadours in the countryside to stadium bands, covering all fields of music, both in Iceland and abroad.
Davíd has composed and arranged a great deal of music for Theater, Film,Art installations, performances and videos of all kinds.
His main goal in music is to never stop the childlike enthusiasm and constant creativity.
Released his first album Rask in 2002.
Davíd is currently composing and working on a series of records with solo piano music.