A Cosmic Symphony — What’s science got to do with it?

Do you remember your first encounter with science? Was it a peek into your school’s microscope or a weekday episode with Bill Nye? For astronomer José Francisco Salgado, it was a book. As a young boy, Salgado picked up his father’s book about the Apollo 11 moon landing. The story it told inspired him to study the universe.

“I thought it was the most incredible thing—that we had gone to the moon. I saw pictures of the technology that got us there and the men that went there,” recalled Salgado. “I didn’t even know the word astronomy at the time. I just knew I wanted to study space.”

This first brush with science launched his career. Salgado studied the physics behind stars, eventually becoming an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and teaching as an adjunct professor at Benedictine University. The pursuit of a scientific understanding of the universe, however, wasn’t the only thing that interested Salgado from a young age.

“There’s a visual beauty to scientific phenomena,” said Salgado. “I’ve been a fan of music since I was a young person, since the disco era. And since middle school, I was really interested in photography. All of these things I was passionate about from a young age, I wanted to combine professionally.”

In 2000, Salgado combined his skills in scientific illustration and photography to create astronomy-themed artwork that would "provoke curiosity and a sense of wonder about the Earth and the Universe.” Instead of showcasing his photography of scientific phenomena with a generic soundtrack, Salgado sought to design a cohesive piece of art where every element—from photography and design to narration and music—enhanced the others. He worked alongside an orchestra to perform a symphony that amplified the message of the film’s storytelling elements.

The success of that original project led to invitations from other orchestras and eventually to the formation of KV 265, a non-profit organization dedicated to the communication of science through art to communities worldwide. Since then, Salgado’s films have been presented at more than 350 concerts and lectures, reaching a combined audience of more than 400,000 people in 18 countries.

“With our performances, we want to inspire young minds to follow careers in the disciplines we combine—photography, filmmaking, design, music and science—all of the things I’ve been interested in since I was a young person,” Salgado said.

Salgado's internationally recognized work will be featured at Neutrino Day: A Cosmic Symphony, Sanford Underground Research Facility's (Sanford Lab) citywide free science festival. The event takes place July 13 in Lead, South Dakota. Salgado is collaborating with the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra (BHSO) to present “The Legend of the Northern Lights,” a film that combines visual imagery and live music to tell the story behind the aurora borealis.

“We are very excited and honored to present this program to our Neutrino Day guests," said Constance Walter, communications director at Sanford Lab. "There are so many elements—science, music, photography, legend. I encourage everyone to end their Neutrino Day experience with this incredible live performance by Salgado and the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra (BHSO)."

Designed to give the Black Hills community an engaging encounter with science, this year’s Neutrino Day finale performance artfully inspires an active pursuit of scientific inquiry.

“These are not science documentaries, but science-based art pieces. The idea is to inspire people to learn more about what they see on screen,” Salgado explained. “These things—the aurorae, the moons of Jupiter—they exist. Now, go learn more.”

Before the live performance, Salgado will introduce the process of creating these films, as well as the science behind the phenomenon of the northern lights. When his talk closes, the performance will unfold.

The visual film, containing Salgado’s photography, video and design, will combine with the BHSO’s chamber orchestra, conducted by Bruce Knowles, performing a symphony by prominent contemporary composer Christopher Theofanidis.

“The music is a terrific score. Theofanidis writes beautifully for the orchestra. His pallet of tone colors and textures is extremely gorgeous and expressive,” said Knowles, who has directed the BHSO for ten years.

Visual depictions of the Northern Lights will cascade across the film screen as the symphony’s notes build. A child’s voice will enter the audible landscape, curious about the significance of these dancing lights. An adult narrator answers the child’s questions with a Native American legend about the Northern Lights.

“It’s all interwoven—the narration, the film, the music—they all culminate in one expression,” Knowles said.

Whether you come to Neutrino Day to peer into a solar telescope, to video chat with scientists underground or to watch a multidimensional live performance about the Northern Lights, you’ll find your encounter with science at Neutrino Day 2019.

Neutrino Day, Sanford Lab’s free science festival, takes place on Saturday, July 13, at locations throughout the City of Lead, including Sanford Lab, Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center, the Lead/Deadwood Arts Center, the Historic Homestake Opera House, the Lead Library and the All In One Events Center. The festival includes hoistroom tours, science activities and exhibits, live video chats with scientists at CERN and underground at Sanford Lab and perennial favorite “Science Steve” Rokusek. In the keynote presentation, Salgado will discuss the value using multimedia to communicate science in engaging ways. This finale will introduce concepts explored in the “The Legend of the Northern Lights,” featuring the BHSO.