Musical trio including Yo-Yo Ma records an anthem of hope » Yale Climate Connections – GWC Mag

[Song clip: “Well, I’m not, I’m not gonna say goodbye. I won’t see you on the other side.”]

This past year, world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma partnered with Indigenous singer-songwriter Quinn Christopherson and environmentalist drag queen vocalist Pattie Gonia.

The three went to Alaska — where Christopherson is from — to film a music video on rocky terrain in front of glaciers that are crumbling.

Christopherson: “And when we were there, we were just listening to this glacier calf and watching it, and it’s just falling into the ocean right in front of our eyes.”

Against this stark backdrop, emblematic of the climate crisis, the unlikely trio performed “Won’t Give Up,” an anthem of hope and commitment to keep fighting to protect the Earth.

[Song clip: “I won’t give up. Never giving up on you. Never giving up on you.]

The song is rooted in joy and optimism, which Pattie Gonia says is essential for sustaining climate activism.

Gonia: “It’s actually really powerful to not give up. … When the world wants you to stop and to quit, what’s possible if we keep going?”

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media