Earth Music Theater Live Brings Astronaut Stories, Music, and Stunning Earth Imagery to Rockport, MA

A Free multimedia performance at Shalin Liu Performance Center on October 26 at 3 PM, with a family-friendly Space Academy for Kids program at 1:30 PM.

Earth Music Theater Live (EMTL) is a breathtaking fusion of music, science, and storytelling—an immersive, multidisciplinary performance that invites audiences to experience Earth from a profoundly new perspective. This unique event takes place on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 3:00 PM at the Shalin Liu Performance Center as part of Rockport Music’s Community Concert Series. Admission is free.

Directed by multimedia artist and guitarist Steve Thomas, EMTL blends soaring, genre-defying music with stunning imagery captured by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The result is a live experience that transcends boundaries between concert, cinema, and science.

The performance features:

Cady Coleman — Former NASA astronaut and author of Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change, who brings personal stories and rare video from her life in orbit.

Thomas’ evocative compositions along with breathtaking astronaut imagery deliver a powerful journey that celebrates Earth, ignites curiosity, and inspires a deeper sense of connection to our planet and to one another.

The EMTL Ensemble, led by Thomas, includes world-class musicians:• Carl Clements (bansuri and alto flute, soprano saxophone)• Chris Cheek (alto saxophone)• Clare Arenius (drums, percussion)• Josh Metz (double bass)Their sublime and genre-straddling music weaves immersive soundscapes that evolve in real time with astronaut photography and video, amplifying the emotional resonance of the performance.

Space Academy for Kids — 1:30 PM

Earlier in the day, families are invited to take part in Space Academy for Kids, a free interactive program led by Dan Barstow, Education Mission Specialist with the Association of Space Explorers and Director of EarthMusicTheater.org. Young explorers will embark on a thrilling one-hour journey through the cosmos, complete with a narrated flight simulation that lets them experience the wonders of space travel firsthand. 

Event Schedule

• 1:30 PM — Space Academy for Kids (3rd Floor Reception Hall)• 3:00 PM — Earth Music Theater Live (Concert Hall)

Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, MA

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Free Admission; registration required available through Rockport Music Box Office & website (Free event)

The EMTL Collaboration

Steve Thomas is a composer, guitarist, and sound designer whose career bridges music, film, and planetary storytelling. Dan Barstow, director of Earthmusictheater.org has broken new ground with creative exploration of visually compelling views of earth from space. Thomas and Barstow have created more than a dozen Earth-themed movies featuring Thomas’s music with imagery captured by astronauts aboard the ISS. Their collaborations, designed to spark reflection on planetary stewardship began in 2007 with Windows on Earth, commissioned for use on the ISS and has expanded into EMTL series.