Iris Trio Released Project Earth: The Green Chapter
The musical ensemble explores environmental crises through a new fusion of spoken-word poetry and eclectic musical compositions.
Updated on Oct. 11, 2026 in Environmental
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The Iris Trio has released their second album in the Project Earth series, titled The Green Chapter. This project combines original poetry with music that draws from jazz, folk, and classical traditions to address environmental issues.
Why it matters
The trio aims to bridge the gap between abstract scientific data and human emotion regarding environmental crises. By using storytelling, they hope to connect listeners more deeply to the realities of the changing planet.
The production involved 3 new commissioned composers and incorporates 7 original poetry pieces. This project follows the first installment, The Blue Chapter, which previously earned the MusicNL Classical Artist of the Year award.
The players
Christine Carter
She is a professor at Memorial University's School of Music in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Zoë Martin-Doike
She is a professional musician currently serving as a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City.
Anna Petrova
She is an associate professor at the University of Texas in Austin.
Karen Solie
She is a writer who authored and performed the poetry featured throughout The Green Chapter.
The details
The album blends spoken-word poetry with music inspired by folk, cinematic, jazz, and classical traditions. The project features contributions from poets and composers, including Karen Solie, Sarah Slean, and Andrew Downing, to tell stories about the environment.
Timeline
The Blue Chapter was released in 2024.
Karen Solie's book Wellwater was published in 2025.
The Green Chapter was released in October 2026.
The Big Picture
This release follows the precedent established by the award-winning success of the series' first installment, The Blue Chapter. It marks a continued effort by the ensemble to use multi-disciplinary art to influence public discourse on environmental topics.
The album offers listeners a new method to engage with environmental themes through a combination of spoken word and multi-genre music. This artistic approach is designed to provide an emotional framework for understanding complex climate-related crises.
The takeaway
Artistic collaborations like the Project Earth series show how non-traditional storytelling can personalize large-scale environmental issues. Listeners can explore these themes by engaging with the full tracklist and accompanying poetry of the new release.
What happens next
Running the Goat Press is currently developing a letterpress edition of the Bird Island Suite, and choreographer Shannon Litzenberger is working on the full chapter of Kinds of Blue.
Further reading
For more on how artistic initiatives intersect with climate awareness, visit the Environmental section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CBC News.
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