Just a couple months ago, I got an email from someone who said he loved coral, had written some music for the ocean, and wondered if we could talk.

It turned out it was not just someone, but the composer who scored the Oscar-winning documentary American Factory, was nominated for an Emmy for Exposing Muybridge, worked with Joe Hisaishi, the genius behind the music of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli, and is himself an insane violinist: Chad Cannon.

Chad hasn’t just written some music for the ocean, he’s written an entire concert called Music for the Ocean, which is evocative of the sea in a way that makes you want to both sing with joy and cry at its beauty. Alongside Chad’s stunning violin is the power and brilliance of pianist Hui Wu, mind-blowing animations of Tim Rauch, and gorgeous artistry of Will Chen’s sound design.

And on top of all that: Chad has made it his objective to help Tela Coral raise $100,000 to build a biobank in Honduras through these concerts. (You can help us as well, please see our donate page.)

The first three concerts were held in Los Angeles July 17 and 18. And we sold out! People were rapt. This is not your grandma’s classical music. It’s something else, something that pierces through the words usually required to represent the ocean, that releases you from the place where you try to control what the ocean is with your thoughts. It’s beautiful. It’s powerful.

I was invited to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution August 13 to give a talk about my book, Life on the Rocks. Chad’s going to join me on stage for a shortened version of the concert. If you are anywhere nearby, you want to be part of this incredible event.

Stay tuned! More concerts are in the works!