Musco Center hosts “Small Island, Big Song”: A Pacific Islander perspective on climate change, social activism

Through song, film and dance, “Small Island, Big Song” creators BaoBao Chen and Tim Cole showcase the importance of connection and advocacy among various Pacific Islander cultures. Pictured: The performance of “Small Island, Big Song” at Chapman’s Musco Center for the Arts on Feb. 3. Photos courtesy of Karen Tapia and Lola Olvera

Chapman students, faculty and the Orange community had the opportunity to witness a new performance at the Musco Center for the Arts, with its purpose of inspiring those in attendance to become “artivists.”

Chapman University’s Musco Center presented its newest performance on Feb. 3, titled “Small Island Big Song,” which brought together artists from around the world, including Taiwan, Mauritius, Madagascar, Aotearoa, Papua New Guinea and Tahiti, to showcase their shared seafaring heritage. This specific performance is one small portion of the Musco Center’s “Leap of Art” program, which began in October 2021. 

“(The program) takes the passions of artists performing at Musco Center and brings them into the classroom,” said Jennifer Marchese-Ernst, the director of programs and public engagement at the Musco Center. “We’ve had amazing success pairing artists like Kishi Bashi, Rosanne Cash and Martha Redbone with Wilkinson students, but bringing “Small Island, Big Song” allowed us to make a connection in science classes.”

According to Marchese-Ernst, performing arts have the power to inspire social action. “Small Island, Big Song” uses song, film and dance to share its message about the ongoing climate crisis.

The Feb. 3 event featured a variety of performances by artists from Taiwan, Madagascar, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea and more islands.

“Art and science are both about observation and interpretation to understand the world and find truth through intelligence and insight,” said Marchese-Ernst. “It’s really exciting to give Chapman students, and these creatives the opportunity to discuss climate and environmental issues from dual perspectives.” 

The performance was a multimedia feature created by Taiwanese theater producer BaoBao Chen and Australian music producer and filmmaker Tim Cole. While various performers sang and danced on stage, live visuals showcasing 16 island nations played in the background.

“Small Island, Big Song” utilized each performer’s different island heritage to tell stories and showcase unity among seafaring communities. Mixed with roots-reggae, beats, folk and spoken-word musical styles, the performers were able to showcase their ancestral lineage and confront contemporary issues their people were facing, including oil spills in the ocean near Mauritius and deforestation in Madagascar.

The performance showcased the music and culture of various Pacific Islander communities and was meant to inspire the public to take action.

“One part during the performance that really stood out to me was when they were singing about the Great Barrier Reef,” said senior theatre performance major Kevin Wang. “Hearing them sing about the negative impact of pollution on the ocean and the reefs really opened my eyes to how important it is to take care of our planet. If we don’t, things will just keep getting worse.”

After hearing about the effects of climate change on oceanic nations around the world, Chen and Cole knew that they wanted to create a production that would bring awareness to an important issue that typically goes unnoticed.

Thus, both creators spent the next eight years recording and filming with over a hundred different artists from several island nations. 

Performers get ready for the big night.

“Our project was really organic,” Chen told The Panther. “That includes the musicians we met and the places they chose to film and record their songs for the project. In the end, none of them chose to be recorded in a studio. Everyone wanted to do it outside, out in nature.”

Chen continued: “Because of that, (Tim and I) were able to go to many special places with these musicians to record. Those locations became our backdrop for the film portion of our concert.”

Since then, “Small Island, Big Song” has resulted in two award-winning albums, a feature film, an impact program and two world-touring productions. 

“For me, the touring part is really the core of what we do because of how many personal connections are built during this time between the musicians, our team and the audience,” Chen said. “A lot of people hear about these islands and environmental issues from a third party, such as the news, but you rarely get a chance to hear these stories from people who have actually experienced them.” 

Chen continued: “We are trying to change that.”

Along with the performance itself, a handful of Chapman diversity clubs and community organizations in Orange also came out to show their support by tabling and teaching attendees about the importance of Pacific Islander culture. 

“It’s really exciting to be able to come to an event at Musco that emphasizes cultures that people may not be too familiar with in the Orange community,” said senior creative writing and communication studies double major Kari Lien. “There’s a fairly diverse community at Chapman, and it’s good to have people be able to see their own culture, while also exposing people to different cultures.” 

Organizations that tabled at the performance included Chapman Pua’ikeana, Skip the Plastic Straw, Bowers Museum, Citizens’ Climate Lobby OC, the Sierra Club, the OC Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, the OC Environmental Justice, Muzeo, LE GaFa and the Pacific Islander Health Partnership. 

“Small Island, Big Song” was a part of the “Leap of Art” program hosted by Chapman’s Musco Center for the Arts.

“Having lived on the island of Oahu all of my life before moving up to Orange, this performance really meant a lot to me,” said senior business administration major Jessica Miyasato. “It reminded me of how important nature and the ocean are to the people of Hawaii, as well as various island regions.”

“We need to strive to protect the ocean because, without it, we wouldn’t have life,” Miyasato continued.

The artists of “Small Island, Big Song” also participated in “Leap of Art” residency events at Chapman and around the Orange community a few days prior to their Feb. 3 performance. 

The residency workshops from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 gave the performers the opportunity to share their love of dance, music and the environment with Chapman students. They were also able to teach and lead performing arts classes for children from low-income communities at The Wooden Floor dance school in Santa Ana.

“Through workshops, ‘Small Island, Big Song’ inspires students to become artivists: art and activists,” said Heather Enriquez, the programs project specialist at Musco. “It’s exciting for us at the center to have the privilege to bring groups like this one to students and community members.”

The Musco Center aims to hold more events like “Small Island, Big Song” that promote advocacy and community involvement, as well as connect underrepresented groups together through the performing arts.

“I've seen firsthand how dance, theatre and music can change lives,” Enriquez said. “And, we hope to continue doing just that.”