Charles Lindsay and David Rothenberg’s “Western Water” features the Mermaid Bar as part of the Ear to the Earth Festival (photo by Charles Lindsay)

Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow St., $5-$15
White Box, 329 Broome St., free-$15
Frederick Loewe Theater, 35 West Fourth St., free
Kleio Projects, 153 1/2 Stanton St., free
October 27 – November 1, Festival Pass $30
www.emfproductions.org

The Electronic Music Foundation’s fifth annual Ear to the Earth Festival of Sound, Music, and Ecology will examine water and the environment in a series of special events taking place at the Greenwich House Music School, White Box, and the Frederick Loewe Theater, including discussions, concerts, poetry, and multimedia art installations. “We are heading towards a crisis in managing the waters of the world,” explains Joel Chadabe in his curator’s statement. “To address the crisis, we need to reach an understanding of the issues we face with water. And we need to become aware of the ways we use water in the context of the physical realities of our changing environment.” Ear to the Earth begins October 27 with “An Encounter with R. Murray Schafer,” in which the Canadian composer will delve into acoustic ecology and environmental sound art, and continues on October 28 with Bernie Krause’s “Fish Rap: The Life-Affirming Soundscapes of Water” and Yolande Harris’s “Fishing for Sound.” On Friday night, Kristin Norderval presents the world premiere of her interactive “Tattooed Ghosts,” inspired by Dina Von Zweck’s FLUDD — VIRTUAL POLAR ICECAP MELTDOWN; also on the bill is Matt Rogalsky’s sound installation “Memory Like Water.” On Saturday afternoon, Sheila Callaghan, Katie Down, Leah Gelpe, and Daniella Topol collaborate on “Water (or the Secret Life of Objects),” which was developed following the Katrina disaster. Saturday night features a trio of New York Soundscapes world premieres: Miguel Frasconi’s “Inside-Out,” Aleksei Stevens’s “Standing Water: Sound Map of the Gowanus Canal, 2010,” and Paula Matthuson’s “Navigable.” Sunday includes two shows at the Frederick Loewe Theater, beginning at 5:00 with David Monacchi’s “Stati d’Acqua / States of Water,” Maggi Payne’s “Liquid Amber,” and Matther Burtner and Scott Deal’s “Auksalaq,” followed at 8:00 by Phill Niblock and Katherine Liberovskaya’s “Sound Delta,” based on sounds from the Rhine and the Danube, and Michael Fahres’s “Cetacea,” which combines Senegalese Sabar drumming with dolphin sounds. The festival concludes on November 1 with Charles Lindsay and David Rothenberg’s live multimedia “Western Water” and Andrea Polli and TJ Martinez’s documentary “Dances with Waves.” In addition, Jennifer Stock’s “At Water’s Edge” and Liz Phillips’s “Here/Hear: Manhattan Is an Island” will be on display at White Box throughout the festival, while Andrea Lockwood’s “A Sound Map of the Housatonic River” will be up at Kleio Projects, with free admission to both venues. Ear to the Earth 2010 combines science and sound, ecology and music, the environment and film, and other media to offer a fresh and innovative perspective on the world’s water crisis.